Largest prehistoric carnivorous bird

The largest carnivorous bird of all time was Brontornis burmeisteri, which lived in Patagonia, South America, during the Miocene Epoch. Standing approximately 2.8 m tall, this huge flightless bird from South America weighed 350-400 kg, which is more than twice the weight of today's largest bird, the ostrich (Struthio camelus). Although Brontornis is traditionally classified as a member of the extinct terror bird or phorusrhacid family, which is most closely related to today's seriemas (family Cariamidae), some researchers have recently suggested that it was actually a member of the waterfowl order (Anseriformes), housing today's ducks, geese, and swans.