Modern-Day Birds That Look Like Dinosaurs
Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) Cassowaries are ratites, a group of large, flightless birds that includes ostriches, emus, kiwis, and others. The southern cassowary may be the closest living relative to dinosaurs on Earth. This primitive bird is a descendant of the Corythoraptor jacobsi, a helmeted dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period.
Shoebill Stork (Balaeniceps rex) The shoebill stork is also known as the whalebill and the whale-headed stork. These strange and somewhat fearsome-looking birds certainly look like modern-day dinosaurs.
Kiwi (Apteryx spp.) The kiwi is the unofficial national bird of New Zealand. There are five species of kiwi, all of which are found only in New Zealand.The kiwi is a primitive-looking bird with a round body and a very long, sharp beak. It is the smallest of the ratites.
Ostrich (Struthio camelus) The ostrich is the largest bird in the world, growing up to nine feet tall and weighing upwards of 300 pounds. This massive bird looks prehistoric in almost every possible way. Numerous similarities between the modern ostrich and the Ornithomimus, an ostrich-like dinosaur, have been documented.
South Island Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri) The takahē is the largest rail, a family of small to medium-sized flightless birds with short wings, large feet, and long toes.This rare New Zealand bird has red legs and a large, strong red beak. Its head has a noticeable dinosaur-like shape. Its clawed feet also have a distinct Velociraptor vibe.
Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) The turkey’s connections with dinosaurs may not be as evident initially because many of us are so familiar with the bird. It is, after all, the mainstay of the Thanksgiving table in the United States. Ben Franklin even lobbied to name the turkey the U.S. national bird rather than the bald eagle.
Chicken (Gallus gallus) The chicken is another domestic bird that has direct ties to the T. rex. In 2003, a T. rex femur bone was discovered. Collagen from that bone was genetically analyzed and compared to the DNA of 21 modern animals. The proteins found in the T. rex DNA were most similar to the chicken.
Hornbill (Bucerotidae) There are 60 species of hornbills, and some of them look like they could have flown straight out of an episode of The Flintstones. Like the cassowary, hornbills have a casque. Unlike the cassowary, the casque sits on top of the bird’s bill, not atop its head.
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) The great blue heron is another descendant of theropod dinosaurs. One look at the feet of this large water bird reveals the connection to the Velociraptors of prehistory. Great blue herons have a massive, seven-foot wingspan and are typically found in marshes, and along rivers and shorelines from southern Canada to northern South America.
Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) The emu is the second-largest bird in the ratite group, trailing only the ostrich. And like the ostrich, the emu is a strange-looking bird that might seem to be more at home among the dinosaurs than in our modern world.