| Barawertornis Temporal range: Late Oligocene - Early Miocene |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Subclass: | Neornithes |
| Infraclass: | Galloanserae |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | †Dromornithidae |
| Genus: | Barawertornis P. Rich, 1979 |
| Species: | B. tedfordi |
| Binomial name | |
| Barawertornis tedfordi P. Rich, 1979 |
|
Barawertornis tedfordi was a dromornithid (mihirung), a huge flightless anseriform bird hailing from Late Oligocene to Early Miocene. The only species in the genus Barawertornis, its fossil remains are found in strata of the Riversleigh deposits located at two sites in Northwestern Queensland, Australia[1]. It was described in 1979 by Patricia Vickers-Rich from fragmentary but diagnostic remains, though more specimens have been subsequently found.[2]
B. tedfordi is currently the smallest known species of dromornithid, comparable in size to the cassowaries[2] and weighing in at 80 to 95 kilograms[3].
This mihirung was a fleet-footed species, probably a herbivore[3], that dwelt in the forest habitat covering most of Australia at the time of the bird's existence.