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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Largest Flying Bird Could Barely Get off Ground, Fossils Show


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The largest bird that ever flew was Argentavis magnificens, which soared over South America some six million years ago.

A new fossil study shows that the bird was too big to fly by flapping its wings and instead likely took to the skies by harnessing the power of warm-air upcurrents called thermals.

Graphic by Katie Parker, National Geographic Digital Media