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- The kiwi does have wings but cannot fly.
- The moa stood up to 3.5m tall, and did not have wings.
- The moa was hunted by the Haast, or Harpagornis, eagle. This eagle had a wingspan of three metres.
- There were eleven species of moa.
- The kākāpō is the largest parrot in the world; it has wings but does not use them to fly.
- Te Papa has about 70,000 stuffed birds in its collection.
- The smallest bird in the world is the bee hummingbird, which is about 5.7cm long and weighs 1.6g - as big as a field mouse.
- The largest bird is the ostrich, which weighs up to 150kg - about the same as two adults.
- The fastest bird is the peregrine falcon, which can dive at speeds of up to 300kph (three times the maximum driving speed limit).
- The hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backwards.
- Flies have two wings and they evolved about 250-60 million years ago, well before dinosaurs evolved.
- The housefly beats its wings 200 times per second.
- Dragonflies have four wings and evolved 300 million years ago, well before dinosaurs and birds.
- Bats are the only mammals that can fly.
- Flying fish can glide distances of over 100m.
- Aboriginal people of Australia have been making wings in the form of boomerangs for at least 10,000 years.
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