Could Not Resist

Perhaps not the most popular of the giant flightless birds of the Miocene, but certainly an enormous bird well worthy of being considered a "terror bird" (a name generally associated with the South American birds), Bullockornis planei (Rich 1979), was an Australian monster. The name refers to Bullock Creek, where the fossil skull was discovered. The material consists of a rather large head, thereby making the name, which translates to "Ox Bird", doubly meaningful in addition to the locality reference. As someone interested in avian crania, this is a fantastic fossil find with tons of potential. Also, look at the beak on this bird? It is awesome, in the truest sense of the word.

(c) Gord Webster