×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Tuesday
24
Feb 2026
weather symbol
Athens 14°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

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

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

Four-day workweek is proven to be better

New Zealand’s seas are warming 34% faster than the global average

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

How Athens “unlocked” Trump in one year: Energy, defense, the role of Kimberly Guilfoyle and the Gerape­tritis–Rubio meeting

February 24, 2026

The Washington Post: Trump tightens the noose around Iran – US sends over 150 fighter jets to Europe and the Middle East

February 24, 2026

“Lockdown” at the port of Hydra: All shops to close for filming of the movie starring Brad Pitt

February 24, 2026

Plevris from Rome: Tolerance policies on migration belong to the past

February 24, 2026

Three reports, two lines on OPEKEPE: No criminal liability, says ND – Investigate Voridis and Avgenakis, opposition demands

February 24, 2026

Kyiv dismisses Russia’s claim on nuclear weapons as “absurd”

February 24, 2026

Putin issues threats on the 4th anniversary of the war in Ukraine: “Our adversaries know what will happen if they use nuclear weapons against us”

February 24, 2026

A strong “Yes” from Greeks abroad to Postal Voting and a three-seat constituency

February 24, 2026
All News

> World

The Washington Post: Trump tightens the noose around Iran – US sends over 150 fighter jets to Europe and the Middle East

A significant increase has been observed in the presence of fighter aircraft at US bases in Europe and the Middle East following the failed talks between the US & Iran on February 17

February 24, 2026

Kyiv dismisses Russia’s claim on nuclear weapons as “absurd”

February 24, 2026

Putin issues threats on the 4th anniversary of the war in Ukraine: “Our adversaries know what will happen if they use nuclear weapons against us”

February 24, 2026

Former Prime Minister of Norway hospitalized after suicide attempt, investigated over alleged involvement in Epstein case

February 24, 2026

New Taliban law legalizes violence against women and children

February 24, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα