Tag Archives: Aepyornis gracilis Monnier

Aepyornis hildebrandti Burckhardt

Hildebrandt’s Elephant Bird (Aepyornis hildebrandti)

Hildebrandt’s Elephant bird was described in 1893 based on subfossil bones, several forms originally described as distinct are now included in this species as synonyms, the material of one of them, Aepyornis mulleri Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, however, is now lost.

The species was somewhat smaller than the Large Elephant Bird (Aepyornis maximus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire). 

Hildebrandt’s Elephant bird is one of only two species within its genus that still are accepted after a revision in 2018. [1]

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source:

[1] James P. Hansford; Samuel T. Turvey: Unexpected diversity within the extinct elephant birds (Aves: Aepyornithidae) and a new identity fort he world’s largest birds. Royal Society Open Science, 2018; 5(9): 181295 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181295

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edited:

27.09.2018