Barawertornis

Taxobox
name = "Barawertornis"
status = fossil
fossil_range = Late Oligocene - Early Miocene
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
subclassis = Neornithes
infraclassis = Galloanserae
ordo = Anseriformes
familia = †Dromornithidae
genus = †"Barawertornis"
genus_authority = P. Rich, 1979
species = †"B. tedfordi"
binomial = †"Barawertornis tedfordi"
binomial_authority = P. Rich, 1979

"Barawertornis tedfordi" was a dromornithid (mihirung), a huge flightless anseriform bird hailing from Late Oligocene to Early Miocene. The only species in the genus "Barawertornis", its fossil remains are found in strata of the Riversleigh deposits located at two sites in Northwestern Queensland, Australia [Boles (2005)] . It was described in 1979 by Patricia Vickers-Rich from fragmentary but diagnostic remains, though more specimens have been subsequently found.SAPE (1999)]

"B. tedfordi" is currently the smallest known species of dromornithid, comparable in size to the cassowaries and weighing in at 80 to 95 kilogramsBoles (2001)] .

This mihirung was a fleet-footed species, probably a herbivore, that dwelt in the forest habitat covering most of Australia at the time of the bird's existence.

ee also

* Australian megafauna
* History of Australia

Footnotes

References

* (2001): Australian Museum Fact Sheets: [http://www.austmus.gov.au/birds/factsheets/thunder_birds.htm 'Thunder Birds' - The Family Dromornithidae] . Retrieved 2006-OCT-17.
* (2005): A New Flightless Gallinule (Aves: Rallidae: "Gallinula") from the Oligo-Miocene of Riversleigh, Northwestern Queensland, Australia. (2005) "Records of the Australian Museum" 57(2): 179–190. [http://www.amonline.net.au/pdf/publications/1441_complete.pdf ODF fulltext]
* (1979): The Dromornithidae, an extinct family of large ground birds endemic to Australia. "Bureau of National Resources, Geology and Geophysics Bulletin" 184: 1–196. [http://books.google.com/books?id=pd9OAAAAMAAJ&dq=&pgis=1 Snippet view] at Google Books
* (1999): "Information Letter" 13. [http://www2.nrm.se/ve/birds/sape/sapenews13.html.en HTML fulltext]