What is "apteryx"

Apteryx \Ap"te*ryx\, n. [Gr. 'a priv. + pte`ryx wing. Cf. Aptera.] (Zo["o]l.) A genus of New Zealand birds about the size of a hen, with only short rudiments of wings, armed with a claw and without a tail; the kiwi. It is allied to the gigantic extinct moas of the same country. Five species are known.

n. nocturnal flightless bird of New Zealand having a long neck and stout legs; only surviving representative of the order Apterygiformes [syn: kiwi]