They can’t hack their food, but … They were the only line of carnivorous flightless birds ever, and they embodied the power and ferocity of their predatory dinosaur relatives before them. Visit WIRED Photo for our unfiltered take on photography, photographers, and photographic journalism wrd.cm/1IEnjUH By analysing the distribution of a group of chemicals, known as rare earth elements, within the bones, the team was able determine the age of the North American remains. « These vicious carnivores used their heavy beaks to batter obstacles and tear flesh, and left little of their victims intact. Name. With Jessica Lee Keller, Lindsey Sporrer, Greg Evigan, Leslie Easterbrook. Looking at Terror Bird pictures will quickly give you an idea why this bird was given its name. Flightless birds, these 8-foot-tall predators could none the less run 65 km/h – making them pretty difficult to take down. Modern birds: Seriemas have a carnivorous streak, too: In addition to plants, they eat lizards, frogs, rats, and other birds. It lived approximately 5-2 million years ago (early Pliocene to early Pleistocene) in North America. Ever since the discovery of its type fossil in 1887, Phorusrhacos has gone by a bewildering number of now-outmoded or reassigned names, including Darwinornis, Titanornis, Stereornis, and Liornis. Gastornis is an extinct genus of large flightless birds that lived during the late Paleocene and Eocene epochs of the Cenozoic era. The researchers looked at fossils of the birds that had been uncovered in Florida and Texas. The generic name, Titanis, refers to the titans, Ancient Greek gods that preceded the Twelve Olympians, in allusion to the bird's size.The specific name, T. walleri, honors the holotype's collector, Benjamin I. Waller. Directed by Sean Cain. 7 min. Species.