Aepyornithidae

Mounted skeleton of Aepyornis maximus, from Monnier (1913).

Belongs within: Palaeognathae.

The Aepyornithidae, elephantbirds, are a group of large, flightless birds found until relatively recently on Madagascar that included the heaviest birds known to have existed.

<==Aepyornithidae [Aepyornithiformes, Aepyornithoidea]
    |--Mullerornis WH02
    |    |--M. agilis WH02
    |    |--M. betsilei WH02
    |    |--M. grandis WH02
    |    `--M. rudis WH02
    `--Aepyornis Geoffroy St Hilaire 1851 D07
         |--A. gracilis WH02
         |--A. hildebrandti WH02
         |--A. maximus WH02
         |--A. medius WH02
         `--A. titan D07

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[D07] Dixon, D. 2007. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures. Hermes House: London.

[WH02] Worthy, T. H., & R. N. Holdaway. 2002. The Lost World of the Moa: Prehistoric life of New Zealand. Indiana University Press: Bloomington (Indiana).