Elephant Bird
Elephant birds are an extinct family of flightless birds found only on the island of Madagascar and comprising the genera Aepyornis and Mullerornis.
They are among the heaviest known birds (Dromornis stirtoni of Australia reached a similar weight). The reasons for and timings of their extinctions remain unclear, although there are written accounts of elephant bird sightings on the island in the 17th century.
Read more about Elephant Bird: Description, Species, Taxonomy and Biogeography
Famous quotes containing the words elephant and/or bird:
“So slowly the hot elephant hearts
grow full of desire,
and the great beasts mate in secret at last,
hiding their fire.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)
“It is Nature’s own bird which lives on buds and diet-drink.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)