Daily Dose of Prehistory: Back From Extinction 103

Was it tall

Bathornis veredus, literally meaning "Tall Bird", was an extinct species of bird related to the modern-day seriema and extinct Phorusrhacids that lived in North America during the late Eocene to the Early Miocene, approximately 37 to 20 million years ago. Bathornis was very similar to South American terror birds, having similar body structure and environmental niches. It stood up to 6 and a half feet tall and would've ran alongside prey pecking them to death with their hawk-like, hooked beak. They've would've hunted a large variety of animals, including early deer and horses, and would've had a similar position in the food chain that mountain lions hold today, impressive for a bird living in a mammal-dominated ecosystem.