The 12 biggest prehistoric birds that ever lived

When we think of animals from the distant past, dinosaurs usually come to mind, as they, in addition to having been studied a lot, are movie, series and TV stars that give us a lot of information about them. But what about prehistoric birds? Do you know anything about them? If you’re curious to discover information involving prehistoric animals ancestors of current birds… then keep reading!

O awesome.club gathered for you some of the most interesting features about 12 birds of the largest prehistoric birds that ever inhabited our Planet.

One of these monsters lived here in Brazil and its skeleton can be visited at a museum close to São Paulo. Check out!

The dodo was a prehistoric bird native to Mauritius, which became extinct at the end of the 17th century. Had a meter tall and weighed between 10 and 18 kilos, having grayish feathers. O peculiarly shaped beak, 23 centimeters long, was an ideal tool for opening coconuts. The bird was unable to fly, due to the small size of the wings, the weight and the little capacity of its sternum.

It became extinct because it was heavily hunted by humans and also because of new species introduced to the islands, which stole their nests.

Also known as the “giant moa”, the natural species of New Zealand measured between 0.5 and 3.5 meters in heightwith some individuals weighing up to 250 kilos🇧🇷 Their long neck and stature helped with feeding, as they were herbivorous birds, with techniques similar to those of giraffes. The thick and strong legs allowed them to run at up to 40 kilometers per hour, despite being a very heavy bird. It became extinct around 1500 by human action: many people hunted the animal for food. Other species of predators also contributed to the disappearance of the species.

O titans, belonging to the group of birds known as “terror birds”, lived in North America during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. With 2 meters long and 2 and a half meters highand weight of 150 kilos, they were indeed the terror of many prey. O titans attacked by running after its food in high speed (68 km/h)🇧🇷 The animal held the prey in its claws and struck it with its sharp beak, removing the meat. O titans it became extinct for two reasons: climate change and the emergence of new species of bears, wolves and cats that, in addition to attacking it, also stole its food.

Still within the group of “aves of terror” was the brotornis🇧🇷 the bird measured 2.85 meters and weighed about 420 kilos, making her one of the largest and heaviest of her kind. It lived during the Miocene in Patagonia, and was one of the biggest predators in the region, killing even elephants and other predators of the time🇧🇷 Its attack techniques were by way of ambush or chasing prey and jumping forcefully on it.

O Cygnus falconeri, or giant swanwas a huge bird measuring approximately between 190 and 210 centimeters, from beak to tail, weighing about 30 kilos🇧🇷 Because of these dimensions, it is believed that it was not a flying bird. Its extinction did not result from human action in its habitat. Experts believe that they disappeared thanks to other superior predators and extreme weather conditions.

O paraphysornis brasiliensis was about a height of 1.7 meters, 2 meters long. His skull was 60 centimeters🇧🇷 Due to the large size and the weight of 300 kilos, the prehistoric bird was unable to fly. Of a carnivorous nature and being a fearsome predator, the paraphysornis lived in the Brazilian plains during the Miocene, until disappearing.

O Taubate Natural History Museum (SP) has an almost complete skeleton of this beast.

This runner bird called patagopteryx was endemic to northwestern Patagonia. It lived in present-day Argentine territory during the Upper Cretaceous, and was similar in size to a chicken. 80 centimeters long and 50 centimeters high, distinguished by its beak and long feathers. It is believed that it was a running bird, reaching a maximum speed of 35 kilometers per hour🇧🇷 Its insect-based diet determined the shape of its beak, formed by small ridges that helped to crush small animals.

Belonging to the family of swans and geese, the dromornis looked like a giant of mine and lived in the Australian forests. Initially, scholars thought that these birds ate plants and seeds, but the shape and rigidity of the beak and jaw raised the hypothesis that the animal was a carnivore. O dromornis could reach 3 meters tall and weigh 500 kilos🇧🇷 Its neck was elongated, with wings of a small size compared to its body. Because of this, it is considered that it was not a flying bird.

This huge swimming bird known as hesperornisbelongs to the genus sea ​​birds who lived in an inland sea that covered part of North America during the Late Cretaceous. On land, it was very vulnerable to attack by other species, as it neither ran nor flew. However, it swam and dived very well. The mouth was filled with a large number of sharp teeth, used to crush prey, mostly fish and aquatic animals. the Hesperornis measured 1.8 meters in length and weighed about 28 kilos.

You Anthropornis and the pachydyptes belong to the family of current penguins. Both lived in the icy waters of New Zealand during the Eocene, and both had a fish-based diet. O Anthropornis was greater in height (1.8 meters compared to 1.6 meters of its relative), but the pachydyptes gained when it came to weight (130 kilos against 90 in the Anthropornis🇧🇷🇧🇷 O pachydyptes was replaced by the little penguins we know today, and the Anthropornis became extinct for not having feathers or fat when Antarctica froze.

O phorusrhacos was the last bird cataloged within the “birds of terror”. It lived on the American continent until the end of the ice age, in areas of forests and plains. average about 2.5 meters tall and weighed up to 130 kilograms., which made the species one of the most lethal carnivorous birds. The long and strong beak, in addition to the large claws, were the tools used by the bird to attack and kill its prey. The animal did this in two ways: by grabbing the prey and dropping it violently against the ground, or by striking it on the skull using its beak.

This prehistoric bird is also called elephant bird, as its size was approximately twice that of today’s ostrich🇧🇷 Originally from Madagascar, it has been extinct since the 17th century, when the first humans arrived there. The animal disappeared after the deforestation of the areas where it used to make its nests, not to mention the hunting promoted by the residents of the region. You Aepyornis they had a long ‘S’-shaped neck and a small beak, which made it easier to collect the plants they fed on. Their eggs measured almost a meter in circumference.approximately 160 times larger than a hen’s egg.

Have you ever heard of these prehistoric birds? Which one did you find the most interesting? Comment!