BIrds of New Zealand
Moa: The Life and Times of New Zealand's Legendary Bird
won the Royal Society of New Zealand Science Book Prize in 2013 for very good reason.
This lovely book tells the story of the life and death of the legendary moa, which for a very long time was a bit of a mystery. The moa had developed in isolation for millions of years but when humans finally discovered New Zealand, the bird was wiped out in the blink of an eye. By the time Europeans arrived, it had long been extinct.
The discovery of moa bones in the 1840s was considered the zoological find of the century but for over 150 years afterwards the giant birds continued to be a bit of a mystery. Natural historians now understand much more about the life and times of this huge bird and how New Zealand's own 'monster' evolved.
The book is beautifully put together and packed with illustrations of all kinds - photographs, drawings, sketches, paintings and diagrams. The sad story of this extraordinary creature is a fascinating history of one of nature's marvels.
