Argentavis, the largest flying bird
A condor relative with a seven-metre wingspan soars over the Argentine pampas.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 667 thousand years
- Known to
- ± 500 thousand years
- Era
- Miocene, Cenozoic
Argentavis magnificens has a wingspan around seven metres and a mass estimated at 70 kilograms, at or beyond the theoretical limit for powered flight. Aerodynamic modelling suggests it could not take off by flapping from level ground and relied on slope winds and thermals, soaring like a glider with an extremely low sink rate. It was probably primarily a scavenger, which suits an animal that can cover enormous distances cheaply but cannot manoeuvre well.