A Biologist Spotlights The Biggest Bird The World Has Ever Known. Hint: It Went Extinct During The Dark Ages

Madagascar is home to some of the world’s most unique flora and fauna. And, up until about a ... More thousand years ago, it was home to the world’s largest known bird species.
Meet Madagascar’s legendary elephant bird.
The name pretty much sums it up – this bird was a true gargantuan.
Weighing 2,000+ pounds and measuring up to 10 feet tall, a quick glance at one of these impressive animals might leave you wondering if you just saw a dinosaur.
Unlike dinosaurs, however, humans of Madagascar frequently crossed paths with elephant birds, until their extinction around 1000 A.D. Here’s the story of these flightless behemoths, from beginning to end.
Madagascar’s Giant Elephant Bird – The Heaviest Bird To Have Ever Lived
The elephant bird, or Aepyornis maximus, was a member of the ratite group — a classification that includes ostriches, emus, and kiwis.
But the elephant bird made even the ostrich – which holds the title as the world’s largest extant bird – look petite. With its massive legs and thick body, the elephant bird was built for power, not speed. It couldn’t fly, but it didn't need to. With few natural predators on Madagascar, it ruled the island’s forests and plains for millennia.
An elephant bird — the extinct giant of Madagascar.
De Agostini via Getty Images