8 million years ago - the drying of Australia
Big bold bird
One of the largest birds that ever lived if not the largest was a giant called Dromornis. Standing about 3m tall, it weighed more than 400kg. It was the largest member of a group of extinct flightless birds called thunder birds that only lived in Australia. The last thunder bird died out between 30,000 and 40,000 years ago.
They were not related to emus, despite looking very similar they may be more closely related to waterfowl.
The Demon Duck of Doom
A 12-million-year-old giant thunder bird called Bullockornis had a massive head with large powerful jaws. Although thunder birds were long thought to be plant-eaters, features of this bird's skull suggest that Bullockornis may have been a flesh-eater. Scientists have nicknamed this huge bird for its suspected meat-eating habits and its possible distant relationship to waterfowl - the 'Demon Duck of Doom'.
Demon Duck of Doom
Skull of the Demon Duck of Doom Bullockornis planei. Middle Miocene. Bullock Creek, Northern Territory
