The Terror Bird

They were large birds, flightless carnivorous, were the dominant predators in South America during the Cenozoic, between 62 and 2.5 million years. They had a size of 1 to 2.5 meters high. Their wings have evolved to use them as arms to flip a moving prey. They were fast runners. Its closest relatives today are the seriemas Cariamidae family.

Titanis walleri, one of the largest species, is native to North America, one of the relatively rare examples of animals that evolved in South America and moved north extending its biogeographical area after formation of the Isthmus of Panama. The ancestors of T. walleri not known, but there may be awaiting discovery North American species.

Only some bones of T. walleri have been discovered in Florida and along the Texas coast. No complete skeleton comes from North America, only fully understood some American forusrácidos.