New clues to ‘big bird’ extinction
A rare fossil discovery by Flinders University researchers illuminates the ultimate survival test faced by Genyornis newtoni, the last of Australia’s famous giant birds – the […]
Ancient eagle ruled the roost
A 25-million-year-old eagle fossil found in South Australia adds to the long evolutionary history of raptors in Australia. In a remarkable discovery, Flinders University palaeontologists have […]
Giant fossil’s bird-brain gives past insights
The largest flightless bird ever to live weighed in up to 600kg and had a whopping head about half a metre long – but its brain […]
Inside view of evolutionary flight path
Flinders researchers studying the giant cassowary’s eating, breathing and vocal structures have found a new way to gain details about evolution. The study even found a […]
When penguins ruled after dinosaurs died
What waddled on land but swam quickly in subtropical seas more than 60 million years ago, after the dinosaurs were wiped out on sea and land? […]
Meet ‘Hercules’, a parrot of child-size proportions
Australasian palaeontologists have discovered the world’s largest parrot, standing up to 1m tall with a massive beak able to crack most food sources. The new bird […]
Giant NZ bird’s links with Africa
Scientists have linked New Zealand’s giant flightless bird, the now extinct adzebill, with origins in Africa – showing that some of its closest living relatives are the […]
Dodo descendant found in ‘Zealandia’
A new pigeon species, the Zealandian Dove, which is related to the extinct dodo, has been identified by Australian and NZ researchers. New Zealand only has […]
Going cheep, tiny birds follow the dodo
Not all prehistoric birds came in extra-large sizes. An international team of scientists has identified the fossilised bones of two new species of flightless birds of […]