Dromornithidae

Dromornithidae, known as mihirungs (after Tjapwuring Mihirung paringmal, "giant bird") and informally as thunder birds or demon ducks, is an extinct family of large, flightless birds native to Australia from at least the late Oligocene (and perhaps as early as the early Eocene) to the Late Pleistocene. They were long classified in Struthioniformes (the ratites), but are now usually classified as a type of gigantic fowl (Galloanserae). Dromornithids were part of the Australian megafauna. One species, Dromornis stirtoni, was tall, making them among the largest birds ever. Only a single species,

Genyornis is an extinct genus of large, flightless bird that lived in Australia during the Pleistocene Epoch until around 40-50,000 years ago. Over two metres in height, they were likely herbivorous. It is the last known member of the extinct flightless bird family Dromornithidae which had been part of the fauna of the Australian continent for over 30 million years. They are not closely related to ratites such as emus, and they are thought to be a gigantic type of fowl, likely an early diverging group within the Anseriformes, which contains ducks and geese. Genyornis. and many other Australian

Dromornis is a genus of large to enormous prehistoric birds native to Australia during the Oligocene to Pliocene epochs. The species were flightless, possessing greatly reduced wing structures but with large legs, similar to the modern ostrich or emu. They were likely to have been predominantly, if not exclusively, herbivorous browsers. The male of the largest species, Dromornis stirtoni, is a contender for the tallest and heaviest bird, and possibly exhibited aggressive territorial behaviour. They belong to the family Dromornithidae, extinct flightless birds known as mihirungs.

Barawertornis is an extinct genus of cassowary-sized dromornithid known from Oligocene and Miocene deposits in Queensland and South Australia. Only a single species, B. tedfordi, is placed in this genus. It shows adaptations towards a cursorial lifestyle. Like other dromornithids, Barawertornis was probably a folivorous and frugivorous browser.

Ilbandornis is an extinct genus of ostrich-sized dromornithid, a clade known casually as "demon ducks" because they are most closely related to the water fowl clade anseriformes. It was far more lightly built than other members of the family, indicating a more cursorial lifestyle; it was a fast runner. The majority of researchers consider Dromornithids to be herbivorous; this is borne out by molecular analysis of the gastroliths and eggshells of both Ilbandornis and the related Genyornis. While Ilbandornis and Genyornis have skulls of similar size to emus, other Dromornithids such as Dromornis