×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Wednesday
14
Jan 2026
weather symbol
Athens 9°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Giant parrot fossil found in New Zealand

It was 15-pounds and 3-foot tall

Newsroom August 7 09:14

Scientists have uncovered evidence of an enormous parrot in New Zealand (of course). This Polly doesn’t want a cracker. This Polly wants a whole damn loaf of bread.

Before humans arrived, islands were funhouses when it came to avian evolution, producing giant, often flightless birds. New Zealand may once have been home to a 15-pound, 3-foot-tall parrot, according to new research.

>Related articles

New Zealand to eradicate all feral stray cats by 2050 – “They are cold-blooded killers”

Four-day workweek is proven to be better

New Zealand’s seas are warming 34% faster than the global average

What was it like? “One can only speculate on this from comparing modern relatives,” study author Trevor Worthy, associate professor at Flinders University in Australia, told Gizmodo in an email. “Parrots are clever, able to solve problems. Most are herbivores of one kind or another, but one restricted mainly to the ground likely fed on berries and seeds of the abundant fruit that existed in the forest it lived in.”

Scientists first found the fossils—a pair of partial tibiotarsi—in 2008. Birds have three leg bones as opposed to humans’ two, and the tibiotarsus is the middle one. Though they first thought the bones came from an eagle, according to the paper published in Biology Letters, their shape and proportions seemed more parrot-like. But the bones were much larger than most parrots’ tibiotarsi. This bird may have been twice the size of the kakapo, the heaviest living parrot.

more at gizmodo.com

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#fossil#giant bird#new zealand#parrot
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

What farmers gained from the meeting with Mitsotakis: The package for electricity, fuel, and income support – The message to the “hardliners” at the roadblocks

January 13, 2026

“Digital noise” from outdated technology caused chaos in the Athens FIR – What the committee’s findings say

January 13, 2026

JPMorgan: Greece one of the most attractive markets for the Emerging Europe category

January 13, 2026

Kimon arrives at Faliro as Europe’s heavily armed frigate enters Greek waters

January 13, 2026

ELSTAT: Inflation up to 2.6% in December

January 13, 2026

Spain aims to control deepfakes created with AI

January 13, 2026

Le Pen’s party’s appeal to decide her presidential future begins

January 13, 2026

Pyrgos: man attacked his wife with a knife and then threatened to kill himself

January 13, 2026
All News

> Politics

What farmers gained from the meeting with Mitsotakis: The package for electricity, fuel, and income support – The message to the “hardliners” at the roadblocks

“Whoever came to the dialogue table gained both in substance and in impressions.” With this phrase, a senior minister who participated in the government’s meeting with 25 farmers and producers summed up the framework of the discussion, which lasted nearly 3.5 hours and covered a wide range of issues concerning farmers and producers

January 13, 2026

Mitsotakis at meeting with farmers opens the way for meaningful dialogue on the future of the primary sector

January 13, 2026

Karachalios responds to Karystianou: She is a serial liar, I have 600 messages, Gratsia and the elderly woman have “bewitched” her

January 13, 2026

Mitsotakis: A substantive meeting with farmers, including new measures – We will not tolerate a partisan minority openly blackmailing society – live

January 13, 2026

Novartis case: Guilty verdict upheld on appeal for Destebasidis and Maraggelis

January 13, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα