The head of the ‘giga-goose’, Genyornis newtoni, one of the largest ever birds, has been reconstructed decades after its extinction. The newly-discovered skull reveals that the species is actually a giant goose, not a waterfowl as previously thought. The bird, standing over two meters tall and weighing up to 240 kilograms, was an imposing presence in ancient Australia before going extinct shortly after humans arrived, likely due to being hunted for food. The skull suggests that changing climate patterns and human interference played a role in the species’ demise, leading to questions about the bird’s adaptation to a changing environment.
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2024/june/face-ancient-australian-giga-goose-revealed-after-fossil-skull-found.html