"Terror Bird" — Phorusrhacid
"Rag-bearer" (Ameghino 1887)
"for-uss-rah-kid"
For 25 million years, terror birds were untouchable and dominated as South America's top predators.
At 10 feet tall, they were far too big and heavy to fly. With long, powerful legs they chased down prey, probably running up to 40 miles per hour, and used their vicious hooked beaks to tear into the flesh of victims. The hips were quite narrow for a bird of its size, and are believed to have given added stability and balance in high-speed pursuits. Stalking prey would also have been a terror bird strategy, creeping out from the long grass in a surprise attack.
Although they bore a single claw on one of the fingers, the wings of terror birds were mainly useless. However, they might have been used for flapping displays. A crest of feathers on top of the head was also typical and could have been used for communicating; modern seriema birds repeatedly raise and lower their crests when alarmed.
However, 3 million years ago a land bridge formed which allowed big cats like
Smilodons and cougars to travel across from North America. Inevitably, some species became extinct when they competed for food and territory or failed to adapt quickly enough. Terror birds had limited success in North America and were displaced as top predators in South America by the invading big cats. Their numbers dwindled until they finally became extinct about 400,000 years ago.
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Size: 10 ft tall
