DNA analysis reveals the big, flightless moa birds ate — and pooped out — 13 kinds of fungi, including ones crucial for New Zealand’s forest ecosystem.

Researcher Alex Boast says the samples were found in Hodge Creek and Takahe Valley, though it is unclear which species of moa they belong to. “These fungi very closely resemble berries.” ...

DNA testing showed that both of the moa that had left behind the coprolites had recently consumed several truffle-like species, including the most famous today, Gallacea scleroderma. The ...

“It’s pretty unambiguous at this point that [moa] were absolutely, definitely eating these things,” Boast tells Science. The vividly colorful fruiting bodies of native fungal ...