Weird Word Wednesday

Aepyornis

ae·py·or·nis

noun \ˌē-pē-ˈȯr-nəs\

Definition of AEPYORNIS

: elephant bird

Origin of AEPYORNIS

New Latin, genus name, from Greek aipys high + ornis bird — more at erne
First Known Use: 1851

aepyornis

 noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of a group of giant flightless birds in the extinct genusAepyornis, found as fossils in Pleistocene and post-Pleistocene deposits on Madagascar. Most were massively constructed (some stood more than 10 ft, or 3 m, high) and had a small skull and a long slim neck. Remains of aepyornis and its eggs (as large as 3 ft, or 1 m, in circumference) are common. Its ancestry is uncertain.

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