What is a terror bird?
Q: What is a terror bird?
A: Terror birds, also known as Phorusrhacidae, are large carnivorous flightless birds that were the dominant predators in South America during the Cainozoic period from 62–2 million years ago.
Q: How tall were terror birds?
A: Terror birds ranged in size from 1–3 meters (3–10 feet) tall.
Q: Where have terror bird fossils been found?
A: Fossils of terror birds have been found in South America, Texas and Florida in North America, and Patagonia.
Q: What was the largest bird skull ever found?
A: The largest bird skull ever found belonged to Kelenken guillermoi from Middle Miocene some 15 million years ago and was 71 cm (28 inches) long with a beak roughly 46 cm (18 inches) long.
Q: How fast could terror birds run?
A: Terror birds were nimble and quick runners able to reach speeds of 48 km/h (30 mph).
Q: What kind of weapon did they have?
A: Terror birds had a fearsome weapon - their beaks which could be driven into prey with the force of a sledgehammer at speed over long distances.
