Magnificent Mihirungs: The Colossal Flightless Birds of the Australian Dreamtime

Over millions of years, Australia's unique biodiversity has produced a large cabinet of curiosities. Among the weirder members of this group were the Mihirungs, members of the now extinct family Dromornithidae. Made up of several genera of flightless birds--among them one of the very largest birds that ever lived--the dromornithids ranged from 60-kilogram beasts, 1.5 meters tall, to giants twice that size, weighing nearly half a metric ton. They were, by orders of magnitude, the largest "geese" that ever lived. One species was comparable in size to the Ele-phantbird of Madagascar and the Giant Moa of New Zealand. This book is the first major study of this unique and highly diverse group. It aims to present as complete a synthesis as possible of current information about this fascinating family of birds.

Author: Peter F. Murray, Patricia Vickers-Rich
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 03/04/2004
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.35lbs
Size: 10.24h x 7.38w x 1.14d
ISBN: 9780253342829

Review Citation(s):
Choice 10/01/2004 pg. 320

About the Author

Peter F. Murray is a researcher at the Museum of Central Australia in Alice Springs.

Patricia Vickers-Rich holds a Chair in Palaeontology at Monash University, where she lectures in the Earth Sciences Department. She is co-author (with Thomas H. Rich) of Wildlife of Gondwana: Dinosaurs and Other Vertebrates from the Ancient Supercontinent (IUP, 2000) and Dinosaurs of Darkness (IUP, 2000).