Moa may once have flown: research

New Zealand's long extinct moa, famous for being huge and flightless, may not always have been grounded, according to new research.

The big birds were closely related to South America's tinamou, which could fly, according to a team of researchers led by former Massey student Dr Matt Phillips, who now works at the Australian National University in Canberra.

DNA analysis showed the tinamou is the closest relative of the moa within a group of birds known as ratites, which include kiwi and other flightless birds such as the cassowary, ostrich and emu.

Tinamou are the only members of the group that can fly, although only poorly. They are found throughout central and southern America.

"It now appears more likely that the ancestor of the moa flew, or was blown, to New Zealand via Antarctica before it froze over," said researcher David Penny.

"There are well over 100 cases of birds becoming flightless on Pacific islands because of the absence of mammal predators."

It was possible to sequence moa DNA from well-preserved bones.

The team said it had been known for about 15 years that kiwi possibly flew to New Zealand - escaping from Australia - but no one realised that moa might have too.

The research was published in this month's international science journal Systematic Biology.

- NZPA