The Elephant Bird, that inhabited the island of Madagascar off the coast of Africa, was the largest bird that ever lived. This now extinct bird was once plentiful on Madagascar. They became extinct, probably in the 17th or 18th century, for reasons that are unclear, although human activity is the suspected cause.
Fast Facts about Elephants
1. The elephant bird was the world’s largest bird. It is thought to have been 12 feet tall and to have weighed half a ton. The Ostrich, at 6 feet, is only the largest living bird.
2. Elephant bird eggs, the largest in existence, can reach up to 12 inches (1 foot) long, or about 3 feet in circumference.
Also Read: 10 Amazing Bird Facts (The Ostrich)
3. The Elephant bird was a ratite, related to ostriches and emus, though it was unlikely to have been a swift runner.
4. The Elephant Bird’s weight was approximately 1,000 pounds (455 Kilograms).
5. The Elephant Bird had very small wings which served no purpose; this bird was flightless.
6. The Elephant Bird would have looked roughly like a much larger ostrich.
7. The Elephant Birds and kiwis arose from a common ancestor around 50 million years ago.
Also Read: 10 Amazing Bird Facts (Cassowary)
8. The Elephant Bird’s diet consisted of plants.
9. The Elephant Bird is also called Aepyornis which is Greek for “tall bird”.
10. Aepyornis isn’t known as the Elephant Bird because it was as big as an elephant, but because (by early, mythical accounts) it was big enough to seize and carry off a baby elephant.