☞ Elephant birds are extinct flightless birds belonging to the order Aepyornithiformes that were native to the island of Madagascar. They are thought to have gone extinct around 1000 CE, likely as a result of human activity.
Elephant birds were large sized birds (the largest reaching 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall in normal standing posture) that had vestigial wings, long legs and necks, with small heads relative to body size, which bore straight, thick conical beaks that were not hooked. The tops of elephant bird skulls display punctuated marks, which may have been attachment sites for fleshy structures or head feathers. Mullerornis is the smallest of the elephant birds, with a body mass of around 80 kilograms, with its skeleton much less robustly built than Aepyornis. A. hildebrandti is thought to have had a body mass of around 230–285 kilograms. Estimates of the body mass of Aepyornis maximus span from around 275 kilograms to 700–1,000 kilograms making it one of the largest birds ever, alongside Dromornis stirtoni and Pachystruthio dmanisensis.
☞ Elephant birds are extinct flightless birds belonging to the order Aepyornithiformes that were native to the island of Madagascar. They are thought to have gone extinct around 1000 CE, likely as a result of human activity.