Aepyornis

American  

[ee-pee-awr-nis] / ˌi piˈɔr nɪs /

noun

1. an extinct genus of ratite birds, best known from the Pleistocene Epoch of Madagascar, having massive legs and rudimentary wings, and growing to a height of 8 feet (2.4 meters).

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aepyornis British  

/ ˌiːpɪˈɔːnɪs /

noun

1. any of the large extinct flightless birds of the genus Aepyornis, remains of which have been found in Madagascar

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Etymology

Origin of Aepyornis

< New Latin (1850) < Greek aipý ( s ) steep, lofty, + órnīs bird

Example Sentences

Just a few thousand years ago, gargantuan fauna roamed the planet, from the gorilla-sized sloth lemur Archaeoindris fontoynontii to the elephant bird Aepyornis maximus.

From Nature • Dec. 11, 2018

From the innermost box Mr. Ray removed the Aepyornis titan egg�intact.

From Time Magazine Archive

This man recognized the egg as that of the extinct Aepyornis titan or elephant bird, a long-necked creature with massive legs on which it stood ten feet high.

From Time Magazine Archive

Aepyornis was ten feet tall, could not fly, laid eggs bigger than footballs.

From Time Magazine Archive

While the eggs of some birds have the shell so thin as to be translucent, e.g. kingfisher, others display considerable thickness, the maximum being reached in the egg of the extinct Aepyornis.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 1 "Edwardes" to "Ehrenbreitstein" by Various