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

About 25 football-sized Aepyornis titan eggs exist in various museums.

From Time Magazine Archive

Aepyornis titan did not become extinct until after the Glacial Ages, which is almost yesterday as geological time goes.

From Time Magazine Archive

They still tell of a great bird, called Aepyornis by paleontologists, which used to roam the island until a few thousand years ago.

From Time Magazine Archive

The second day I broached one of the Aepyornis eggs, scraped the shell away at the end bit by bit, and tried it, and I was glad to find it was good enough to eat.

From The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)