Extinct genus of birds
The New Zealand goose is a bird of the extinct genus "Cnemiornis" of the family Anatidae, subfamily Anserinae. The genus, endemic to New Zealand, consisted of two species: the North Island goose, "C. gracilis" and the South Island goose "C. calcitrans".
Description.
This goose was as large as some small moa. The North Island species had in body mass while the South Island species reached , far surpassing Canada and Cape barren geese. They were flightless, with much-reduced webbing on the feet, an adaptation for terrestrial dwelling similar to that of the nene of Hawaii. They are usually considered most closely related to the Cape Barren goose of Australia.
Extinction.
They were never particularly common, and like many other large New Zealand endemic species they were subject to hunting pressures from the settling Polynesians, as well as predation upon their eggs and hatchlings by kiore, or the Polynesian rat (which accompanied the settlers) and the settlers' dogs, and were extinct before the arrival of European settlers. The Māori name of the North Island goose ("C. gracilis") was "tarepo".
References.
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