In Depth Further Reading - Mummified moa remains from Mt Owen, northwest Nelson - Notornis 36 (1): 36–38. - Trevor H. Worthy - 1989. - Unique, dark olive-green moa eggshell from Redcliffe Hill, Rakaia Gorge, Canterbury - Notornis 39 (1): 63–65. - Beverley McCulloch - 1992. - Plant remains in coprolites: diet of a subalpine … Read more
In Depth Like similar predatory birds of its day, Phorusrhacos was flightless with its wings greatly reduced in size. The wings of Phorusrhacos also had sharp hooks that seem to be more suited for gripping. These hooks have been suggested as being used to secure struggling prey as Phorusrhacos dispatched it with its beak, but … Read more
In Depth Further Reading - A New Eagle (Aves: Accipitridae) from the Mid Miocene Bullock Creek Fauna of Northern Australia, P. Gaff & W. E. Boles - 2010.
In Depth Take off and Flight With a wingspan estimated at seven meters across, Argentavis was roughly twice the size of the largest flying bird today (Wandering Albatross), and only the long extinct pterosaurs could have rivalled and exceeded it for size.The genus Pelagornis is a possible contender to be roughly equal in size or … Read more
In Depth Known from a single juvenile preserved on a slab, Zhongornis has been seen as an intermediary form between more primitive forms like Archaeopteyx which have long bony tails, and more advanced forms like Confuciusornis which had shorter bony tails. Further Reading - A new basal lineage of Early Cretaceous birds from China and … Read more
In Depth Nambashag is a genus of cormorant that lived in Australia during the Oligocene/Miocene. Further Reading - Descriptions and phylogenetic relationships of a new genus and two new species of Oligo-Miocene cormorants (Aves: Phalacrocoracidae) from Australia. - Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 163 (1): 277–314. - Trevor H. Worthy - 2011.
In Depth Brontornis was easily one of the largest of the known South American ‘terror birds’, and as a member of the Brontornithinae it is noted as being one of the most robust in build. Whereas some terror birds could use their speed to run down prey, Brontornis would have been more suited to ambush … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – A partially mummified skeleton of Anomalopteryx didiformis from Southland. – Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand (Royal Society of New Zealand) 17 (4): 399–408. – R. M. Forrest – 1987.
In Depth Xiangornis is a genus of enantiornithine bird from the early Cretaeous of China. The enantiornithine birds are considered separate from the ornithomorph birds, yet Xiangornis shows features that are common to both groups. Though this could simply be a case of convergent evolution with similar features being adapted by both groups, it has … Read more
In Depth Apsaravis is a genus of bird that lived in Mongolia during the late Cretaceous. Apsaravis is noted for having a mix of both primitive and advanced features. Further Reading - Fossil that fills a critical gap in avian evolution. - Nature Vol. 409 11 January 2001 pp.181-184. - Mark A. Norell & Julia … Read more