In Depth Patagopteryx is a very interesting bird since it is known to have had flight capable ancestors, yet evolved to become what is termed secondarily flightless. This makes Patagopteryx one of the earliest examples of a bird that evolved to become flightless in order to fit into a particular ecological niche. So far it … Read more
In Depth Hongshanornis was an early bird that lived in China during the early Cretaceous period. Most interpretations of Hongshanornis depict it as being a wading bird but one that was still capable of flight. The wings were fairly broad and tapered out to triangular points at the end. If Hongshanornis was a wader then … Read more
In Depth Brodavis was a genus of hesperornithiform that lived in both Asia and North America towards the end of the Cretaceous. Like relative genera, Brodavis would have dived below the water and used well developed feet to swim through the water after fish. What is perhaps most interesting though is that Brodavis was the … Read more
In Depth The beak of Genyornis was sharp and powerful, but unfortunately it is difficult to say what its diet was as it would have been useful for either a carnivore or herbivore. It is also equally possible that Genyornis was an omnivore, feeding from plants but also supplementing its diet by scavenging carrion. This … Read more
In Depth Dromornis is also often referred to by the English translation of its Greek name ‘Thunder bird’, as well as the Aboriginal ‘Mihirung paringmal’ which means ‘giant bird’. Dromornis was certainly a big bird being just a bit shorter but much heavier than the Moa from New Zealand, while being slightly lighter but a … Read more
In Depth Opisthodactylus is an extinct genus of rhea (a type of flightless bird similar to an emu) that lived in South America during the Miocene. Further Reading - New fossil bird remains from the Chichinales Formation (Early Miocene) of northern Patagonia, Argentina. - Annales de Pal�ontologie. - Federico L. Agnolin & Pablo Chafrat - … Read more
In Depth As a member of the Brontornithinae group of terror birds Physornis was one of the larger and more robust members of the larger group, the Phorusrhacidae. As such it would have been related to Paraphysornis and Brontornis, and living during the Oligocene it was one of the earliest terror birds to roam and … Read more
In Depth The name Iberomesornis is often translated to English as ‘Spanish intermediate bird’, but the first part of the name is actually in reference to the Iberian Peninsula (also just called Iberia) which includes not only Spain, but Portugal, Andorra and part of southern France as well. At the time of writing however, Iberomesornis … Read more
In Depth Paraphysornis was one of the more robust members of the phorusrhacid ‘terror birds’ and was most closely related to Physornis and Brontornis. Because of its large size and heavier build, Paraphysornis probably relied more upon ambush tactics to surprise prey rather than running it down over extended distances. Although this does not mean … Read more
In Depth Further Reading - Genus Pachyornis - Catalogue of the Fossil Birds in the British Museum (Natural History) - Richard Lydekker - 1891. - Rediscovery of the types of Dinornis curtus Owen and Palapteryx geranoides Owen, with a new synonymy (Aves: Dinornithiformes) - Tuhinga (16): 33–43 - Trevor H. Worthy - 2005. - Reconstructing … Read more