In Depth Like similar predatory birds of its day, Phorusrhacos was flightless with its wings greatly reduced in size. The wings of Phorusrhacos also had sharp hooks that seem to be more suited for gripping. These hooks have been suggested as being used to secure struggling prey as Phorusrhacos dispatched it with its beak, but … Read more
Large flightless birds are well known in the fossil records of the world’s southern continents, but it is usually the ‘terror birds’ of the Phorusrhacidae that usually steal the thunder of the others. Titanis manages to stand out from these other terror birds, not because it was one of the largest or most terrifying, but … Read more
In Depth Devincenzia was one of the larger terror birds but was still more gracile than some such as Brontornis. This implies that Devincenzia would have had a greater reliance upon speed and agility while hunting. Actually attacks upon prey may have been a series of heavy downward blows from its beak onto the head … Read more
In Depth Although not certain, Kelenken is a strong contender for the tallest ‘terror bird’ (phorusrhacid) known. This has seen Kelenken firmly placed within the Phorusrhacinae sub group of terror birds, and its remains suggest that it had a more gracile build when compared to the Brontornithinae group that contains large but more robust members … Read more