The April 2024 was held on April 20th, 2024 at 7:30 via Zoom. The presenter was ESCONI member John Catalani.
Abstract
We begin with an explanation of the “Terror Birds” and their position in Geologic Time. The two major groups of these large cursorial birds are the Phorusrhacidae and the Gastornithidae. The first group was the longest lasting and, until the very end, lived in South America, at that time an isolated continent. With the appearance of the Panamanian Land Bridge and the Great American Biotic Interchange, the last “Terror Bird” took up residence in the, mostly, southeastern United States. The Interchange is also believed to have been the cause of the eventual extinction of the Phorusrhacidae. The Gastornithids, inhabiting Europe and North America, did not exist as long as the Phorusrhacids becoming extinct for unknown reasons mid-Eocene. This group consisted primarily of Diatryma in North America and Gastornis in Europe. Detailed study has determined that the two birds were actually congeneric. We will survey both groups for habitats and significant species with bird skeletal features and restorations illustrating the talk.
