Magnificent Mihirungs

The Colossal Flightless Birds of the Australian Dreamtime

von Patricia Vickers-Rich, Peter F. Murray

420 Seiten, Hardcover

Kurzbeschreibung des Verlags

Over millions of years, Australia's unique biodiversity has produced a large cabinet of curiosities. Among the weirder members of this group were the Mihirungs, members of the now extinct family Dromornithidae. Made up of several genera of flightless birds-among them one of the very largest birds that ever lived-the dromornithids ranged from 60-kilogram beasts, 1.5 meters tall, to giants twice that size, weighing nearly half a metric ton. They were, by orders of magnitude, the largest "geese" that ever lived. One species was comparable in size to the Ele-phantbird of Madagascar and the Giant Moa of New Zealand. This book is the first major study of this unique and highly diverse group. It aims to present as complete a synthesis as possible of current information about this fascinating family of birds.

• Reihe: Indiana University Press
• ISBN: 9780253342829
• Sprache: Englisch
• Erscheinungsdatum: 04.03.2004
• Größe: 260 x 187 mm
• Verlag: Indiana University Press