![]() Possible dromornithid footprints from Pleistocene sand dunes of southern Victoria, Australia. Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics Bulletin 184, 1-196. The Dromornithidae, an extinct family of large ground birds endemic to Australia. Memoirs of the Royal Society of South Australia 1, 111-126. Description of some further remains of Genyornis newtoni. Description of the vertebrae of Genyornis newtoni. Genyornis newtoni.A new genus and species of fossil struthious bird Memoirs of the Royal Society of South Australia 1, 41-80. Magnificent Mihirungs: The Colossal Flightless Birds of the Australian Dreamtime. Records of the South Australian Museum 31, 51-97. The skull of dromornithid birds: anatomical evidence for their relationship to Anseriformes. (eds) Vertebrate Palaeontology of Australasia. Chapter 24: The Pleistocene megafauna of Australia. Pleistocene extinction of Genyornis newtoni: human impact on Australian megafauna. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 149, 1-95. 2007 Higher-order phylogeny of modern birds (Theropoda, Aves: Neornithes) based on comparative anatomy. Lancefield Swamp and the extinction of the Australian megafauna. Genyornis newtoni and Dromaius novaehollandiae at 30,000 b. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, n. ![]() Brontornis burmeisteri Moreno & Mercerat, un Anseriformes (Aves) gigante del Mioceno Medio de Patagonia, Argentina. The skulls of the larger dromornithids ( Bullockornis and Dromornis) had proportionately more massive beaks than other species, including Genyornis, and there may in fact have been a variety of dietary options for the relatively diverse dromornithids. Those holding the view that dromornithids were to some degree carnivorous cite the huge size of the beak ('a case of overdesign'). Genyornis has also been also found in large numbers in some deposits, unlike carnivores (at the top of the food chain, carnivores are generally very rare). Analysis of eggshells (amino acid analysis) in Genyornis supports an herbivorous diet at least in this dromornithid. ![]() Both these features are herbivore-like, although the feet of the larger dromornithids are unknown. All dromornithids lack a hooked beak, as in raptors, and Genyornis newtoni, from the Pleistocene, had hoof-like rather than recurved claws on its feet. Many palaeontologists are convinced they were herbivores (eating mainly tough-skinned fruits and seed pods), but others think at least some dromornithids may have eaten meat, based on the shape and size of their skulls and beaks. There is a great deal of debate over the diet of dromornithids. ![]()
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