Bullockornis
Name:
Bullockornis
(Ox bird).
Phonetic: Bul-lock-or-niss.
Named By: P. Rich - 1979.
Classification: Chordata, Aves, Anseriformes,
Dromornithidae.
Species: B. planei (type).
Diet: Probably carnivorous.
Size: Up to 2.5 meters tall. Estimated weight
of 250 kg.
Known locations: Australia, Northern Territory,
Bullock Creek - Camfield Beds Formation.
Time period: Langhian of the Miocene.
Fossil representation: Skull.
Although
the name actually means 'ox bird', Bullockornis
is better known
in popular culture as the 'Demon duck of doom'. This is in part
because Bullockornis is thought to be more closely
related to ducks and
geese than any other group of birds. Although Bullockornis
was
without doubt a large bird, it was not named for being the size of an
ox but instead for being discovered in Bullock Creek.
Bullockornis
is thought to have been a carnivore, an idea that is based upon the
sharp beak that could have easily sliced through flesh. No one is
certain what kind of animals Bullockornis
preferred, but its large
size meant that only the largest of animals could avoid being off the
menu. Conversely however the group that Bullockornis
belongs too,
the Dromornithidae, all have sharp shearing beaks, but may have
actually used these beaks for cropping vegetation. Another depiction
of the group is that they may have been opportunistic omnivores that
had no preference for either meat or plants.
Bullockornis
is a good example of the Australian megafauna of the Miocene period,
but it was not the only large bird from Australia with Dromornis
and
Genyornis
also being quite well known.
Further reading
- The Dromornithidae, an extinct family of large ground birds endemic
to Australia - Bureau of National Resources, Geology and Geophysics
Bulletin 184: 1–196. - Patricia Vickers-Rich - 1979.
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