Moa (Reach) (Earth-4001)

Moa are creatures native to Reach. They are large flightless bird-like creatures that resemble extinct Earth-based moa. They have feathered bodies with scales from the neck up, leading up to a very lizard-like head.

History
The history of the moa is the same as their mainstream counterpart.

Trivia

 * The original moa were a group of flightless bird species native to the north and south islands that make up New Zealand, hunted to extinction between 1300 and 1400 CE by the original native Maori tribes. It is unlikely that Reach's "Moa" is related to the New Zealand Moa, and were most likely nicknamed by settlers for their superficial similarity.
 * Moa appear as white dots on the player's motion tracker, and the player's reticle does not change color when it is pointed at a Moa. However, if the player melees a Moa at close range, it is possible to lunge towards it, as if they were an enemy.
 * The price of the moa burger in the Halo: Reach level Exodus (7.77 cR) is a reference to Bungie's favorite number.
 * It is possible that Moa with the red plumes on their heads are males while the ones without them are females, since the red plumes could serve a purpose similar to Earth's birds, for mating and for courtship, similar to the feathers of a peacock.
 * Curiously, Moa are affected by the Mythic skull.
 * If the player kills a Moa, NPCs, such as Jorge-052, might fire at or talk to the corpse as if they were an enemy. Similarly, Army troopers will still comment as if the Moa were a hostile target. This is most likely a small oversight, as Bungie programmed NPCs to fire on dead enemies the player killed.