: any of various usually very large extinct flightless birds of New Zealand of a ratite order (Dinornithiformes) including two (Dinornis robustus and D. novaezelandiae of the family Dinornithidae) nearly 12 feet (3.7 meters) in height
Examples of moa in a Sentence
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Similar efforts to bring back the woolly mammoth, the thylacine — better known as the Tasmanian tiger — and another flightless bird, the moa, are also underway.
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Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
Recently, Colossal announced plans to resurrect the long-extinct New Zealand bird species, the moa, at the urging of filmmaker Peter Jackson, who is an investor in Colossal.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
Still, the team hopes to eventually bioengineer a bird that closely resembles the extinct moa in size and form.
—Moná Thomas, People.com, 12 July 2025
Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief scientist, told AP that the first step in the project is finding moa bones that may still hold potential DNA.
—Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 9 July 2025
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Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
Recently, Colossal announced plans to resurrect the long-extinct New Zealand bird species, the moa, at the urging of filmmaker Peter Jackson, who is an investor in Colossal.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
Still, the team hopes to eventually bioengineer a bird that closely resembles the extinct moa in size and form.
—Moná Thomas, People.com, 12 July 2025
Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief scientist, told AP that the first step in the project is finding moa bones that may still hold potential DNA.
—Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for moa
Cite this Entry
“Moa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moa. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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moa
noun
: any of various usually very large extinct birds of New Zealand that were not able to fly
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