Phorusrhacidae
Reconstruction of a terror bird.
Their scientific name is neither particularly intimidating nor easy to remember, so let’s just refer to these large, flightless, carnivorous birds by their colloquial name: terror birds.
They grew to between three and 10 feet long, stood up to 10 feet tall, could run at speeds of 30 miles per hour, and had a giant, curved beak, like an eagle’s. The only living relative of the terror bird is the seriema, a 35-inch bird that’s about as threatening as a butterfly.
Nevertheless, don’t underestimate the terror bird, a top predator for almost 60 million years.
Next up: A sloth the size of an elephant…
