Extinct bird catalogue A to Z
Fossils, historical specimens and the evidence behind each reconstruction
Birds repeatedly evolved giant bodies, lost flight and occupied the sea or land in very different ways. Similar outlines do not make a giant penguin, an auk and a dodo close relatives.
Each card opens a complete profile separating bones, tracks, isotopes, written records and DNA from ecological inference and artistic reconstruction.
A
AAletornis
Aletornis nobilis Marsh, 1872
A disputed Eocene bird genus named from isolated limb bones in Wyoming’s Bridger Formation.
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AAmplibuteo
Buteogallus hibbardi (Campbell, 1979); originally Amplibuteo hibbardi
A large Pleistocene New World hawk from Talara, now classified in Buteogallus.
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AAnabernicula
Anabernicula Ross, 1935
A small North American fossil waterfowl known chiefly from limb bones and several debated species.
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AAnomalopteryx
Anomalopteryx didiformis (Owen, 1844)
The little bush moa, a small flightless New Zealand browser known from bones, coprolites and ancient DNA.
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AAnthropornis
Anthropornis
A giant Eocene penguin known chiefly from dense limb bones found on Seymour Island, Antarctica.
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AAphanapteryx
Aphanapteryx bonasia (de Sélys-Longchamps, 1848)
The flightless Mauritian red rail, known from subfossil bones and seventeenth-century accounts.
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AAphanocrex
Aphanocrex podarces Wetmore, 1963
A large flightless rail known from subfossil bones at several sites on Saint Helena.
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AApteribis
Apteribis glenos and Apteribis brevis
Two flightless Hawaiian ibises known from Maui and Molokai subfossil deposits.
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AAptornis
Aptornis otidiformis; Aptornis defossor
Two heavy, flightless New Zealand birds whose mitochondrial DNA links them to African and Madagascan flufftails.
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AAquatilavipes
Aquatilavipes Currie, 1981 (ichnogenus)
A Cretaceous ichnogenus named for small bird-like footprints, not a body-fossil bird genus.
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AArchaeospheniscus
Archaeospheniscus lowei, A. lopdellorum, A. wimani
A fragmentary fossil penguin genus with records from New Zealand and Antarctica at different times.
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AArgentavis
Argentavis magnificens
A giant Miocene teratorn whose fragmentary skeleton supports a wingspan near seven metres and soaring flight.
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AAustrallus
Australlus disneyi and Australlus gagensis
Two Miocene fossil rails from Riversleigh, Queensland, described from fragmentary bones.
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AAvipeda
Avipeda phoenix and tracks assigned to Avipeda
An ichnogenus for bird-like fossil footprints; the biological identity of the trackmaker remains uncertain.
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BBathornis
Bathornis species
North American Cenozoic cariamiform known chiefly from long, robust leg bones; species varied in size and flight ability.
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BBelgirallus
Belgirallus oligocaenus and Belgirallus minutus
Early Oligocene fossil rails from Belgium, with a partial German skeleton referred cautiously to the genus.
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BBermuteo
Bermuteo avivorus
An endemic Bermuda hawk known from seven bones, including unusually robust lower legs; diet and possible historical survival remain uncertain.
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BBerruornis
Berruornis orbisantiqui and Berruornis halbedeli
A Paleocene European bird known mainly from robust foot bones and interpreted as an early owl relative.
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BBountyphaps
Bountyphaps obsoleta
A large late Holocene pigeon from Henderson Island, known from bones at archaeological localities.
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BBreagyps
Breagyps clarki
A large Pleistocene New World vulture known from Rancho La Brea and other western North American sites.
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BBrontornis
Brontornis burmeisteri
A massive Miocene ground bird from Patagonia with exceptionally stout hind limbs and disputed relationships.
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CChendytes
Chendytes lawi
A large flightless sea duck known from California coastal fossils and archaeological sites.
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CChenoanas
Chenoanas deserta and related species
A Miocene duck genus known from fossils across parts of Eurasia.
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CCimolopteryx
Cimolopteryx rara
A Late Cretaceous bird genus anchored by a partial coracoid from Wyoming.
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CCnemiornis
Cnemiornis calcitrans and Cnemiornis gracilis
Two large flightless geese from New Zealand's North and South Islands.
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CColymboides
Colymboides minutus and related fossil loons
An early European loon genus known from species of uneven fossil completeness.
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CConfuciusornis
Confuciusornis sanctus
An early Cretaceous Jehol bird with a toothless beak, clawed wing fingers and a large sample of feathered skeletons.
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CCopepteryx
Copepteryx hexeris; C. titan
A Japanese plotopterid seabird with flipper-like wings and a giant species known from one femur.
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DDasornis
Dasornis emuinus
A giant early Eocene pelagornithid with bony pseudoteeth and a wingspan reconstructed from incomplete bones.
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DDelphinornis
Delphinornis larseni and related species
A genus of smaller Eocene penguins from Seymour Island, known mainly from foot bones and a partial skeleton.
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DDiaphorapteryx
Diaphorapteryx hawkinsi
A large flightless rail of Rēkohu, documented by abundant subfossil bones and historical Moriori testimony.
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DDiatryma
Diatryma geiselensis and related species
A giant flightless gastornithiform genus restored in a 2024 review using skull, shoulder and foot anatomy.
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DDodo
Raphus cucullatus
A flightless Mauritian pigeon whose seventeenth-century extinction followed rapid human-driven ecological change.
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EEmeus
Emeus crassus
The eastern moa, a robust New Zealand ratite whose taxonomy reflects long-running questions about size variation.
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EEpiornis
Aepyornis (historically called Epiornis)
Madagascar’s giant elephant bird, known from subfossil bones and eggshell, with a changing taxonomic history.
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EEuryapteryx
Euryapteryx curtus and related named forms
A broad-billed New Zealand moa whose growth, population structure and taxonomic limits have been tested with DNA and eggshell.
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FFluvioviridavis
Fluvioviridavis platyrhamphus and related species
A broad-billed Eocene bird known from Wyoming and England, with uncertain relationships and feeding ecology.
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GGastornis
Gastornis
A large Palaeogene flightless bird whose beak, tracks and isotope evidence support a mainly herbivorous ecology.
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GGeranopterus
Geranopterus alatus; G. milneedwardsi
A flying late Eocene bird from France, once compared with cranes and now placed near the roller lineage.
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GGreat auk
Pinguinus impennis
A large flightless North Atlantic alcid driven to extinction by intensive harvesting of adults, eggs and feathers.
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GGruipeda
Gruipeda vegrandiunus
Tiny Late Cretaceous footprints from Alaska, named as traces whose bird-like maker remains unidentified.
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HHaast's eagle
Hieraaetus moorei
New Zealand's giant eagle, closely related to small Hieraaetus species and directly linked to moa by talon injuries on pelvic bones.
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HHakawai
Hakawai melvillei
A small early Miocene shorebird from New Zealand, known from 52 bones and proposed as part of an ancient southern Scolopaci lineage.
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HHesperornis
Hesperornis regalis and relatives
A toothed, flightless Cretaceous bird with reduced wings and hind limbs specialised for underwater propulsion.
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IIgnotornis
Ignotornis mcconnelli
A historically important Cretaceous footprint type, represented by many trackways but no associated bird skeleton.
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JJindongornipes
Jindongornipes kimi and related ichnospecies
A footprint genus with a long hallux, best known from Cretaceous track surfaces in South Korea.
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KKairuku
Kairuku waitaki, K. grebneffi and K. waewaeroa
Giant Oligocene penguins of New Zealand, including a long-legged species known from a relatively complete skeleton.
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KKlallamornis
Klallamornis buchanani
A North Pacific plotopterid diver whose species classification was revised using fragmentary Washington fossils.
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KKoreanaornis
Koreanaornis hamanensis
A Cretaceous footprint name from Korea that records small bird-like steps rather than an identified skeleton.
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KKumimanu
Kumimanu biceae; status of K. fordycei disputed
A giant late Paleocene penguin from Otago, known from associated bones; size is modelled and a second species is contested.
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LLaricola
Laricola elegans
An Early Miocene charadriiform from France, revised from gull-like bones into a stem laromorph outside modern gulls.
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LLatipons
Latipons gardneri
A fragmentary middle Eocene bird from southern England, traditionally called a rail but not securely placed in Rallidae.
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LLaurillardia
Laurillardia munieri
A tiny Paleogene bird from France and Poland, reclassified near the stem of hoopoes and their relatives.
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LLimnofregata
Limnofregata azygosternon
An early Eocene frigatebird relative from Wyoming lake deposits, with a less specialised build than living species.
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LLithornis
Lithornis vulturinus
A flying palaeognath from Paleocene and Eocene deposits of Europe and North America, known from extensive skeletal material.
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LLophopsittacus
Lophopsittacus mauritianus
Mauritius's broad-billed parrot, known from subfossil bones and early accounts of the living bird.
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MMacranhinga
Macranhinga paranensis
A large Miocene South American darter; limb bones support an estimated mass and a specialised diving locomotion.
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MMancalla
Mancalla species
Flightless Pacific auks with powerful wings adapted for underwater propulsion; species were revised in 2011.
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MManuherikia
Manuherikia lacustrina
A diverse Miocene duck genus from New Zealand, known from hundreds of bones and multiple stratigraphically separated species.
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MMegalapteryx
Megalapteryx didinus
New Zealand’s upland moa, known from bones, rare mummies, eggshell and plant-rich coprolites.
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MMegapaloelodus
Megapaloelodus species
A long-legged palaelodid close to flamingos, known from fragmentary Neogene bones in the Americas.
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MMegavitiornis
Megavitiornis altirostris
Fiji's giant flightless sylviornithid, known from cave and archaeological bones; its deep bill is preserved, while the proposed fruit diet remains inferential.
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MMeridiocichla
Meridiocichla salotti
A large Late Quaternary thrush known from fragmentary bones on Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Crete.
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MMesembriornis
Mesembriornis milneedwardsi
An Argentine phorusrhacid with elongated legs; its famous maximum speed is a model result, not a direct measurement.
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MMiocepphus
Miocepphus species
Miocene North Atlantic auks that dived with their wings and retained powered flight.
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MMoa
Dinornithiformes
Nine New Zealand flightless bird species known from skeletons, feathers, gut contents, coprolites and ancient DNA.
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MMullerornis
Mullerornis modestus
A comparatively slender, flightless elephant bird known from Malagasy leg bones and genetically identified thin eggshell.
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NNambashag
Nambashag billerooensis; N. microglaucus
Two Oligo-Miocene cormorant relatives represented by separate bones from inland lake deposits of South Australia.
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NNecrobyas
Necrobyas harpax and referred species
A Paleogene European owl genus diagnosed mainly from short, robust leg bones and revised repeatedly as specimens are reassessed.
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NNecropsar
Necropsar rodericanus
The Rodrigues starling, an extinct Mascarene passerine established from subfossil bones and a revised museum type series.
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NNelepsittacus
Nelepsittacus species
Three named early Miocene New Zealand parrots known from 85 fossil bones, with two more bones hinting at an unnamed form.
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NNeogyps
Neogyps errans
A North American Pleistocene vulture assigned to an Old World accipitrid lineage, known mainly from fragmentary bones.
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NNeophrontops
Neophrontops americanus
A North American fossil assigned to the Old World vulture side of Accipitridae, with older referrals that need caution.
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NNesotrochis
Nesotrochis species
Flightless Caribbean birds once mistaken for rails; mitochondrial DNA links one species to an unexpected gruiform lineage.
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OOpisthodactylus
Opisthodactylus species
Miocene rheas from Argentina known from incomplete fossils of different ages and regions.
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OOraristrix
Oraristrix brea
A late Pleistocene California owl known from a large Rancho La Brea bone sample and a confirmed Carpinteria record.
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OOsteodontornis
Pelagornis orri (also Osteodontornis orri)
A giant Miocene pelagornithid with bony pseudo-teeth; its wings are clear, while its exact span and feeding behaviour remain reconstructed.
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PPachyornis
Pachyornis species
Three robust, flightless moa from New Zealand, studied through skeletal remains, ancient DNA and rare dietary traces.
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PPalaeeudyptes
Palaeeudyptes species
Large fossil penguins from Eocene Antarctica and Oligocene New Zealand, with species limits still under anatomical review.
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PPalaelodus
Palaelodus species
An extinct flamingo-order waterbird with a straight bill and swimming-adapted legs, known mainly from Miocene fossils.
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PPalaeospheniscus
Palaeospheniscus species
Miocene stem penguins from South America whose accepted range was narrowed after a detailed review of humerus anatomy.
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PParaptenodytes
Paraptenodytes antarcticus
An early Miocene Patagonian penguin with a partial skull that helps place it just outside the living penguin crown group.
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PPassenger pigeon
Ectopistes migratorius
A once abundant North American pigeon whose immense flocks vanished under commercial hunting and forest loss.
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PPatagornis
Patagornis marshi
A well-represented Miocene terror bird from Patagonia, known from skulls and near-complete skeletons; its generic name remains debated.
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PPelagornis
Pelagornis sandersi and relatives
Giant ocean-going bird with bony pseudo-teeth and wingspans estimated above six metres in the largest species.
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PPhorusrhacos
Phorusrhacos longissimus
A large flightless Miocene phorusrhacid from Patagonia, named from a lower jaw first mistaken for a mammal.
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PPlatydyptes
Platydyptes species
Late Oligocene New Zealand penguins identified mainly from wing and leg bones, with named species and an additional form under review.
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PPrecursor
Precursor parvus; P. litorum; P. magnus
Three early Eocene bird names based on isolated bones; their relationships and unity as a genus remain uncertain.
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PPresbyornis
Presbyornis pervetus
An early Cenozoic waterbird with long legs, a broad filtering bill and evidence for colonial nesting.
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PPrimapus
Primapus lacki
A small early Eocene stem apodiform from England, first known from humeri and now represented by a partial skeleton.
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PPrimobucco
Primobucco mcgrewi
A small Eocene Green River bird whose nearly complete skeletons revised its early classification and support stem-roller affinities.
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PPsilopterus
Psilopterus species
A small, lightly built South American phorusrhacid; the genus includes four species with uneven fossil records.
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SSapeornis
Sapeornis chaoyangensis
A large Jehol bird known from more than 70 skeletons, including seeds preserved in the crop and stomach.
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SSceloglaux
Ninox albifacies
New Zealand’s extinct laughing owl, historically called Sceloglaux, with genetic, skeletal and prey-remain evidence for its relationships and ecology.
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SSylviornis
Sylviornis neocaledoniae
A giant flightless New Caledonian stem galliform known from hundreds of bones, with sensory behaviour still inferred from anatomy.
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TTatarornipes
Tatarornipes chabuensis
An Early Cretaceous bird ichnospecies from Inner Mongolia, known from broad three-toed prints rather than a skeleton.
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TTelmatornis
Telmatornis priscus
A fragmentary Maastrichtian bird from New Jersey, named from one humerus end and tentatively linked to additional limb bones.
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TTeratornis
Teratornis merriami
A large Late Pleistocene teratorn with a well-sampled skeleton at Rancho La Brea; its flight is clear, but its balance of hunting and scavenging is not.
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TThambetochen
Thambetochen species
Large flightless Hawaiian moa-nalo ducks with tooth-like bony bill projections and plant-rich coprolite evidence.
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TTitanis
Titanis walleri
North America's only confirmed phorusrhacid, known from scattered Florida and Texas fossils dated to the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene.
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TTurnagra
Turnagra capensis / T. tanagra
New Zealand piopio songbirds known from museum specimens, historical observations and genetic evidence that places them among the orioles.
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UUhangrichnus
Uhangrichnus chuni
A Late Cretaceous Korean bird ichnotaxon known from webbed footprints and short trackways, with the trackmaker's family unresolved.
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