Birds

03Recently extinct

Flightlessness was not a failure, but the result of evolving on an island without large predators.

12Mesozoic

Feathers, wings, teeth and a long bony tail capture a mosaic of dinosaur and bird traits.

25Recently extinct

Flocks once darkened the sky, yet abundance could not protect a species dependent on immense colonies.

26Recently extinct

This flightless North Atlantic seabird used its wings as powerful underwater paddles.

28Recently extinct

One of the tallest birds ever known browsed forests without wings of any kind.

29Recently extinct

The largest known eagle evolved to strike moa many times its own weight.

61Cenozoic

A tall flightless predator used a deep hooked beak to strike prey on the ground.

62Cenozoic

One of the largest flying birds rode rising air above open South American plains.

76Recently extinct

Bright green flocks once made this the only parrot native to the eastern United States.

77Recently extinct

Males and females had dramatically different bills but foraged as a pair.

78Recently extinct

These massive flightless birds laid the largest eggs known from any vertebrate.

99Recently extinct

This small sea duck had a specialized bill for feeding in shallow coastal water.

180Cenozoic

This two-meter flightless bird had a deep jaw and powerful legs, probably feeding on soft leaves, fruit and shoots.

233Mesozoic

A toothless beak, clawed wings and—in some individuals—two long ribbon-like tail feathers appeared together.

234Mesozoic

Its wings shrank to small bones while rear-set legs turned it into a superb Mesozoic pursuit diver.

235Mesozoic

Its body and flight resembled a tern, but a row of true teeth remained inside the long jaws.

250Cenozoic

Its estimated wingspan exceeded six meters, while bony pseudoteeth lined a beak adapted to slippery marine prey.

292Cenozoic

This giant flightless bird had a massive beak, but evidence favors a mainly herbivorous diet.

335Cenozoic

Its near-condor wings paired with feet and a bill suited to taking live prey.

336Mesozoic

A waterbird close to ducks lived before the non-avian dinosaurs vanished.

337Cenozoic

A strong flyer belonged near lineages whose living members are mostly flightless.

338Recently extinct

This tall flightless island bird was closer to megapodes than its heavy build suggested.

339Recently extinct

Powerful legs and a heavy bill belonged to a flightless ground forager.

340Recently extinct

A flightless ibis turned thickened wrist bones into club-like weapons.

459Cenozoic

Three meters tall with a massive beak, it was among the heaviest birds.

460Cenozoic

A seventy-centimeter skull and hooked beak armed one of the largest terror birds.

461Cenozoic

A one-and-a-half-meter penguin lived near the equator with a spear-like beak.

462Cenozoic

At almost 1.8 meters, it was a giant diver on a warmer Antarctic coast.

463Recently extinct

Strong legs carried a medium moa whose feathers resembled shaggy hair.

464Recently extinct

This giant flightless pigeon fought with bony wing knobs and was the dodo's closest relative.

496Cenozoic

Massive legs and a deep beak belonged to one of South America's heaviest flightless birds.

497Cenozoic

A near-six-meter wingspan and bony pseudoteeth armed a giant seabird.

540Cenozoic

Long legs and a strong beak belonged to a terrestrial bird with little or no flight.

541Cenozoic

A deep beak and massive legs made a heavyweight South American terror bird.

542Cenozoic

A lighter terror bird had long toes suited to rapid pursuit.

543Cenozoic

Its complete inner ear reveals sensitivity to relatively low-frequency sound.

544Cenozoic

Robust leg bones belonged to a giant flightless African bird whose skull remains unknown.

566Cenozoic

A near-human-height diving bird preserves feathers and melanosomes that opened direct study of ancient penguin color.

567Cenozoic

A slender trunk, long bill and large flippers produced a taller silhouette than modern penguins.