(From an analysis of anatomical features of Grandicrocavis viasesamensis and comparison to other known species ...)
"The first description of Grandicrocavis described it
as an eight-and-a-half-foot canary, which is just not really
plausible, as the songbirds almost never go flightless, and when
they do they scarcely increase in size. My hypothesis is that
Grandicrocavis is actually a giant, flightless crane..."
-- Mike Dickison of Duke University, in a talk titled,
"Pedomorphic flightlessness and taxonomic affinities of an enormous
Recent bird
- or -
What, if anything, is big Bird?"
presented 2010-05-20, posted online June 2010 (also posted to
BoingBoing)
[Uh, consider this a teaser, not the best bit, because to fully appreciate this, you want to catch the slides and audience reactions. The whole thing is under seven minutes long. Enjoy.]