Re: MORE ON MOAS!

["Nicholas R. Longrich" <longrich@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>]

On Mon, 15 Jan 1996, Ronald Orenstein wrote:
        I don't want to get too far from evidence here, but what about moa 
coloration? Modern ratites are pretty dull for the most part, but then 
again, cassowaries are quite colorful. Some New Zealand birds, like the 
kakapo, are yellowish and green, while the Takahe (about the size of a 
small moa?) is blue with an orange bill. Moas seem to be almost 
universally depicted as drab, but one has to wonder. I don't suppose 
Maori cave paintings can help out (I assume their palette wasn't very 
varied) but has anyone found moa feathers? And if so, do they retain any 
color after all those years? 
        -nick L.