A palaeontologist says New Zealanders can still be proud of their moa, even though a bigger bird has been discovered in Europe.

A thigh bone of the ancient species has been found on the Crimean peninsula, and the bird is thought to have weighed 450 kilograms - twice the size of the biggest moa that once roamed New Zealand.

Otago University's Nic Rawlence says we may be beaten in size, "but we make up in numbers - we have nine species of moa, ranging in size from turkey-size up to true giants. In this case, I think numbers wins."

It is the first time such a massive bird has been found in the northern hemisphere, challenging Madagascar's extinct elephant birds as the biggest that ever roamed the Earth.