Meet Heracles, the largest parrot ever discovered

[Logo7]

A new genus of flightless parrot has been described from early Miocene age remains from the former mining town of St. Bathans on the South Island of New Zealand. The new genus has been given the name Heracles inexpectatus ("Unexpected Heracles"), with the genus name originating from the Greek mythological figure Heracles, better known as Hercules, in reference to both the bird's massive size and the existence of the smaller ancient parrot Nelepsittacus, who was named after the Greek Neleus, who, along with his sons, sans Nestor, was killed by Heracles, in the same formation, and the Latin word "inexpectatus," meaning "unexpected," in reference to the unexpected nature of this discovery. The new genus has been affectionately nicknamed "Squakzilla" by some of the researchers. The new genus is described from two fossilized leg bones, from which the paper determines that it was roughly three feet tall and weighed 15 pounds, usurping the record of heaviest parrot from the modern kakapo. The remains of this genus were first discovered in 2008, but were left undescribed among several presumed eagle bones from the same site for ten years until researchers finally realized that the bones did not belong to an eagle. Upon determining that the bird was a parrot by comparing the leg bones to various modern specimens, the researchers estimated the size of the bird by measuring the circumference of the leg bones, which show that the bird was exceptionally large for a parrot. This suggests that Heracles was a flightless bird that would have most likely stayed on the forest floor. Although it is possible that it had a herbivorous diet, the paper suggests that Heracles may have filled in the role of the absent large carnivorous mammals on the island, with it potentially eating other, smaller parrots. Further fossil remains, particularly the beak, will be needed before the true diet of this species can be determined. However, this discovery provides further evidence that, without large mammals due to the isolation of the island of New Zealand, birds were able to diversify into a wide range of sizes and specialities. It also adds another example of insular gigantism in the prehistoric birds of New Zealand. Here is a reconstruction of the new genus surrounded by the ancient wren genus Kuiornis by paleoartist Brian Choo, a size comparison between the new genus, a magpie, and a human, and a link to the paper describing the new genus.




Paper (open access!): https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2019.0467

[Ravonium]

Nice find   I wonder if there's any specific mammal species it would've been roughly analogous to?

[stargatedalek]

Nice find   I wonder if there's any specific mammal species it would've been roughly analogous to?

From the sounds of it more like a modern Kea parrot than any particular mammal, and quite far off from the lumbering Kakapo.

[CityRaptor]

I guess rather than defeating the Stymphalian Birds, this Heracles is one of the Stymphalian Birds.

[Ravonium]

From the sounds of it more like a modern Kea parrot than any particular mammal, and quite far off from the lumbering Kakapo.

I do agree that living birds are closer analogues; just wondering about mammalian analogues since the birds are implied to have fufilled niches that mammals do in other parts of the world.

[Vidusaurus]

From the sounds of it more like a modern Kea parrot than any particular mammal, and quite far off from the lumbering Kakapo.

I do agree that living birds are closer analogues; just wondering about mammalian analogues since the birds are implied to have fufilled niches that mammals do in other parts of the world.

Given that it's only known from two leg bones there's not much we can determine in the way of behaviour or lifestyle currently, let alone make accurate comparisons to extant mammals

[Ravonium]

Given that it's only known from two leg bones there's not much we can determine in the way of behaviour or lifestyle currently, let alone make accurate comparisons to extant mammals

I realise that too, now 

[Faelrin]

I'm not gonna lie, but that would terrifying to stand next to (at least in my case since I'm slightly taller then it, other then the fact I find large beaks, like on ceratopsians, unnerving). Still a pretty fascinating discovery though.

[Neosodon]

I find it impressive that they can tell it was a parrot just by the feet alone.

[brontosauruschuck]

I have my fingers crossed for an Ice Age/Rio crossover movie.

[brontosauruschuck]

WaPo nicknamed is Squackzilla. https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/08/07/scientists-just-discovered-prehistoric-parrot-nearly-size-kindergartner/

I kind of like that.

[australovenator]

Really cool and a little surreal to think of a parrot that big.
Makes me wonder what New Zealand would be like today had mammals never arrived in some form.