Elephant bird

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Elephant bird is the name given to two large species of extinct flightless birds endemic to the island of Madagascar. The largest bird known to have lived into historical times, the elephant bird has been claimed to have given rise to the Arabian legend of the roc.

Elephant Bird
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain Eukaryota
Kingdom Animalia
Subkingdom Bilateria
Branch Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum Chordata
Sub-phylum Vertebrata
Infraphylum Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass Tetrapoda
Class Aves
Sub-class Neornithes
Infra-class Neoaves
Order Information
Superorder Struthionimorphae
Order Aepyornithiformes
Family Information
Family Aepyornithidae
Genus Information
Genera Aepyornis
Mullerornis
Population statistics
Conservation status Extinct

Species

Species placement is disputed; science has in the past identified up to four species for genus Aepyornis, with a recent assessment folding all into one species, A. maximus.

  • Genus Aepyornis
Aepyornis gracilis
Aepyornis hildebrandti
Aepyornis medius
Aepyornis maximus
  • Genus Mullerornis
Mullerornis agilis
Mullerornis betsilei
Mullerornis rudis

References