The settlement of the Pacific Islands by humans led to rapid waves of extinction for many animal species, whose dynamics are difficult to reconstruct. Among the affected species were the wingless moas, which were only found in New Zealand. These often massive birds went extinct in the 14th or 15th
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New Zealand's unique birdlife evolved in isolation over millions of years. This late 19th-century illustration depicts a hunting scene involving moas. (© Joseph Smit, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)