The Elephant birds, which were giant ratites, have been extinct since at least the 17th century. Étienne de Flacourt, a French governor of Madagascar in the 1640s and 1650s, recorded frequent sightings of elephant birds. "Aepyornis", one of the world's largest birds, is believed to have been over tall, weighing close to 400 kg (880 lb). Remains of "Aepyornis" adults and eggs have been found. In some cases the eggs have a circumference of over and a length up to . The egg volume is about 160 times greater than a chicken egg.