Genyornis

Genyornis
Temporal range: Late Pleistocene
Reconstructed skeleton of Genyornis in front-on view
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Superorder: Galloanserae
Family: Dromornithidae
Genus: Genyornis
Stirling & Zietz, 1896
Species:
G. newtoni
Binomial name
Genyornis newtoni
Stirling & Zietz, 1896

Genyornis is an extinct genus of large, flightless bird that lived in Australia during the Pleistocene Epoch until around 40-50,000 years ago. Over two metres in height, they were likely herbivorous. It is the last known member of the extinct flightless bird family Dromornithidae which had been part of the fauna of the Australian continent for over 30 million years. They are not closely related to ratites such as emus, and they are thought to be a gigantic type of fowl, likely an early diverging group within the Anseriformes, which contains ducks and geese. Genyornis. and many other Australian megafauna became extinct in Australia as part of the Late Pleistocene extinction event, coinciding with the arrival of humans. Evidence has been found for human consumption of Genyornis eggs, making it one of the few species of Australian megafauna for which evidence of human interaction is known.