×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Sunday
24
May 2026
weather symbol
Athens 21°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Giant parrot fossil found in New Zealand

It was 15-pounds and 3-foot tall

Newsroom August 7 09:14

Δείτε περισσότερα άρθρα μας στα αποτελέσματα αναζήτησης

Add Protothema.gr on Google

Scientists have uncovered evidence of an enormous parrot in New Zealand (of course). This Polly doesn’t want a cracker. This Polly wants a whole damn loaf of bread.

Before humans arrived, islands were funhouses when it came to avian evolution, producing giant, often flightless birds. New Zealand may once have been home to a 15-pound, 3-foot-tall parrot, according to new research.

>Related articles

9-million-year-old shark fossil found intact, has sword-like teeth and is an ancestor of the great white

Huge magma reserves discovered beneath Tuscany

New Zealand to eradicate all feral stray cats by 2050 – “They are cold-blooded killers”

What was it like? “One can only speculate on this from comparing modern relatives,” study author Trevor Worthy, associate professor at Flinders University in Australia, told Gizmodo in an email. “Parrots are clever, able to solve problems. Most are herbivores of one kind or another, but one restricted mainly to the ground likely fed on berries and seeds of the abundant fruit that existed in the forest it lived in.”

Scientists first found the fossils—a pair of partial tibiotarsi—in 2008. Birds have three leg bones as opposed to humans’ two, and the tibiotarsus is the middle one. Though they first thought the bones came from an eagle, according to the paper published in Biology Letters, their shape and proportions seemed more parrot-like. But the bones were much larger than most parrots’ tibiotarsi. This bird may have been twice the size of the kakapo, the heaviest living parrot.

more at gizmodo.com

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#fossil#giant bird#new zealand#parrot
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Olympiacos European Champion for the 4th time, 92-85 over Real Madrid

May 24, 2026

EuroLeague Final Four: Olympiacos ready tonight for “checkmate” against “Queen” Real Madrid & the conquest of the throne of European basketball

May 24, 2026

Elections in Cyprus: 569,182 voters elect 56 MPs today for the next five-year term

May 24, 2026

On the brink of a peace agreement to end the US–Iran war: Key issues on nuclear program and uranium remain open

May 24, 2026

Mitsotakis: Extension of “My Home II” until the end of August, what he said about spatial planning, KYSEA & Olympiacos

May 24, 2026

Gunman killed near White House, Trump says he had violent history and obsession with presidency

May 24, 2026

Yannis Smaragdis against Christopher Nolan over “The Odyssey”: “If he’s doing it for the Oscars, it’s disgraceful”

May 24, 2026

Iron Maiden shook OAKA in front of tens of thousands of fans (videos-photos)

May 24, 2026
All News

> Greece

In reverence, the emotional deposition in Jerusalem, see photos & video

The Holy Temple of the Resurrection opened after many days due to the war between Israel and Iran

April 10, 2026

In the final stretch for the accreditation of joint master’s degrees: Aiming for their launch in the coming academic year

April 10, 2026

Schedule for Epitaph Procession today (10/4)

April 10, 2026

Perfect weather for Easter excursions, according to Tsatrafyllia’s forecast

April 10, 2026

Easter in Greece: The customs that continue in Greek tradition – From Nafpaktos to Corfu

April 10, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα