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Glite Dictionary
Aepyornidae

Aepyornidae

9.9
Large extinct flightless birds from Madagascar called elephant birds
  • noun
  • /ˌiːpiˈɔːrnɪdeɪ/
  • Specialized
: Aepyornidae
  • Fossils of the Aepyornidae suggest they were once the heaviest birds to have lived.

Examples

  • Research into the diet of Aepyornidae has shed light on Madagascar's ancient environment.

  • The extinction of the Aepyornidae is believed to have occurred less than a thousand years ago.

  • The Aepyornidae were among the largest birds to ever exist.

  • Did you know that Aepyornids were native to Madagascar?

  • Fossils of the Aepyornidae suggest they were once the heaviest birds to have lived.

  • The extinction of the Aepyornidae is believed to have occurred less than a thousand years ago.

  • Research into the diet of Aepyornidae has shed light on Madagascar's ancient environment.

Synonyms

family Aepyornidae
vsAepyornidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of very large extinct flightless birds from Madagascar called elephant birds

is the same name without the explicit note about its equivalence to the order

Compounds

family Aepyornidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of very large extinct flightless birds from Madagascar called elephant birds

Surface Forms

Aepyornidae singular
Aepyornids plural

Morphology

Aepyornidae = Aepyornis (opaque) = Aepyornis + idae

Formed from the genus name 'Aepyornis' plus the scientific family suffix '-idae', a specialized taxonomic formation not transparent to general learners.

Etymology

Aepyornidae comes from Greek parts aepy ('tall' or 'lofty') and ornis ('bird'), and the ending -idae shows it is a family. So the name literally means 'tall birds', which helps explain why they are the huge, flightless 'elephant birds' of Madagascar.