Mihirung
Genyornis newtoni
🪶
Chordata
Aves
Pangalloanserae
Galloanserae
Dromornithidae
Genyornis newtoni
Genyornis newtoni, the Thunder Bird of Pleistocene Australia, was a massive, flightless bird that towered over the ancient grasslands and saltbush plains. Weighing as much as a small cow, it was among the last of the great “mihirungs,” the giant birds that once dominated Australia before humans arrived.
Description
Genyornis newtoni stood around 2 meters tall and was heavily built, with a large, deep bill capable of crushing tough vegetation. It had small, vestigial wings and could not fly. Its robust legs and thick bones suggest it was a powerful runner, though likely slower than its lighter avian cousins like emus. The bird’s environment was arid scrub and open woodland — ecosystems dominated by hardy plants and megafaunal grazers.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
350
0.5
2
1.8
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Omnivores – Balanced
Hunt History
The arrival of humans in Australia coincided closely with the disappearance of Genyornis. Burnt eggshell fragments from sites across central Australia bear clear evidence of human cooking — scorch marks consistent with being roasted in fires. Early Aboriginal peoples likely hunted Genyornis both for its rich eggs and for its meat. With low reproductive rates, even modest hunting pressure could have caused rapid population collapse when combined with environmental stress during the late Pleistocene aridification.
Archaeological Evidence:
Lake Eyre Basin, South Australia — charred Genyornis eggshells dated to roughly 47,000 years ago.
Lake Callabonna, South Australia — nearly complete skeletons preserved in ancient mudflats, providing detailed reconstructions of the bird’s anatomy.
Alice Springs region, Northern Territory — fossilized eggshell fragments associated with hearth sites, indicating direct human interaction.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Globally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
50000
BP
Late Pleistocene
Australia
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
5
Est. Renderable Fat
17.5
kg
Targeted Organs
Visceral & subcutaneous
Adipose Depots
Visceral/subcutaneous (general)
Preferred Cuts
Visceral depot
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
3