BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Ancient American bird was glider
"The largest bird known to have taken to the skies would have been a remarkable glider, scientists say.
A North American team has studied the flight abilities of Argentavis magnificens, which lived six million years ago in Argentina.
With its seven-metre (23ft) wingspan, the animal must have been an expert at riding thermals and updrafts. But, the team tells PNAS journal, at 70kg (155lbs) it might have struggled to get airborne by flapping its wings.
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The biggest flying animals known to science were pterosaurs. The flying reptiles that lived more than 65 million years ago had wingspans exceeding 10m (30ft)."
"The largest bird known to have taken to the skies would have been a remarkable glider, scientists say.
A North American team has studied the flight abilities of Argentavis magnificens, which lived six million years ago in Argentina.
With its seven-metre (23ft) wingspan, the animal must have been an expert at riding thermals and updrafts. But, the team tells PNAS journal, at 70kg (155lbs) it might have struggled to get airborne by flapping its wings.
......
The biggest flying animals known to science were pterosaurs. The flying reptiles that lived more than 65 million years ago had wingspans exceeding 10m (30ft)."
). What a huge bird! 23ft wing span! Whoa!
