Elephant bird Elephant bird Elephant birds are members of the extinct ratite family Aepyornithidae, made up of large to enormous flightless birds that once lived on the island of Madagascar. They became extinct, perhaps around 1000–1200 CE, for reasons that are unclear, although human activity is the suspected cause. Elephant birds comprised the genera "Mullerornis", "Vorombe" and "Aepyornis". While they were in close geographical proximity to the ostrich, their closest living relatives are kiwi, suggesting that ratites did not diversify by vicariance during the breakup of Gondwana but instead evolved from ancestors that dispersed more recently by flying. In September 2018, scientists
Bird Island, South Georgia wandering albatross were ringed, which gave startling data about their range - one bird was found in Australia . The island is currently a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and so there are no landings allowed without permission. The summit of the island, Roché Peak is named after the Englishman Anthony de la Roché who discovered South Georgia in 1675. 2008 marked the 50th anniversary of biological research on Bird Island. The island has been a station for Antarctic research since 1963, and is currently a biological research station of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) at Jordan Cove, with three