usher in Pelagornis sandersi , an out giant bird that lived some 25 to 28 million years ago . With an estimated 24 - foot ( 6.4 meters ) wingspan , the enormous albatross - corresponding creature is now considered the largest bird to have ever taken to the skies .
The jumbo seabird , which was doubly the size of the Royal Albatross ( the gravid flying Bronx cheer today ) , and big than the previous disk holder ( the long - out Argentavis magnificens ) , was an extremely efficient glider . It feature long , slender wings that avail it stay aloft despite its tremendous sizing .
Pelagornithids are an extinct group of birds recognize for bony tooth - like beak projections , large sizing , and highly modified wing bones . The well - preserve remains of this particular specimen were attain near Charleston , South Carolina .
The maths shows that P. sandersi was adequate to of flying . Its newspaper - thin hollow bones , stumpy legs , and giant wing would have made it a proficient flier , but an ill at ease land indweller . numerical model suggest that the creature reached the maximal soundbox size possible for fly birds . Less clear-cut , however , is how the affair actually carry off to take off .
An artist ’s characterisation of the unexampled fossil species P. sandersi . Discovered bone fragment are shown in lily-white . The well - preservered specimen consisted of multiple fender and leg bones and a complete skull . Credit : Liz Bradford .
To rule out , Dan Ksepka of the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in Durham , North Carolina , ran some simulations . It become out that P. sandersi was too big to just pother its extension and launch itself into the breeze from a standstill . Rather , like Argentavis , it may have gotten off the terra firma by running downhill into a headwind , or taking reward of atmosphere blast to get aloft , like to a hang glider .
Then , once airborne , the fowl ’s long , slender wings converted it into an efficient sailplane . It likely ride along air travel currents that rose up from the Earth ’s surface , soaring for miles over the open sea without have to roll its tremendous offstage . When athirst , it would swoop down to the piss to course on soft - bodied prey like squid and eel .
Read the entire study at PNAS : “ escape carrying out of the largest volant bird “ .
Image : Liz Bradford .
BirdsPaleontologyScience
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