Name:
Bullockornis (Greek for "ox bird"); pronounced BULL-ock-OR-niss
Habitat:
Woodlands of Australia
Historical Epoch:
Middle Miocene (15 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 8 feet tall and 500 pounds
Diet:
Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Large size; prominent beak
About Bullockornis:
Sometimes, all you need is a catchy nickname to propel a prehistoric bird from the musty insides of paleontology journals to the front pages of newspapers. Such is the case with Bullockornis, which an enterprising Australian publicist has dubbed the "Demon Duck of Doom." Similar to another giant, extinct Australian bird, Dromornis, the middle Miocene Bullockornis seems to have been more closely related to ducks and geese than to modern ostriches, and its heavy, prominent beak points to its having had a carnivorous diet.
