Elephant Bird - Madagascar

Aepyornis maximus - The elephant bird is an extinct flightless bird endemic to Madagascar. Remains of this giant suggests a height of 3 meters and a weight of 400 kilos. The eggs had a circumference of 1 meter and reached lengths of 34 centimeters. The volume of such an egg is equal to 6.5 ostrich eggs, currently the largest egg produced by any animal. The elephant bird could be found throughout Madagascar until the 17th century, when human encroachment caused their demise.

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The island of Madagascar formed when it broke away from the Indian sub-continent. As India drifted northwards to collide with Asia, Madagascar drifted westwards. It merged briefly with Africa and then drifted back out to sea and is now separated from Africa by the 416 kilometer Mozambique Channel. The long separation from Africa explains the absence of the larger mammals found on the mainland and why over 90% of the flora and fauna found on Madagascar is endemic only to Madagascar.

Ostrich - Mali

Struthio camelus - The ostrich is the tallest living bird. A mature male averages 2.1 to 2.8 meters in height; mature females range between 1.7 to 2.0 meters. Their sense of smell and eyesight is exceptional. An ostrich has the largest eyes of any land vertebrate. These features provide the ostrich with an early warning system to escape potential predators. They can also achieve and maintain speeds of 50 km/h, giving the ostrich the distinction of being the fastest two-legged animal on earth.

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Mali was once part of three different kingdoms; the Ghana Empire, the Songhai Empire, and the Mali Empire. The Mali Empire was a Mandinka state reigning from 1230 to 1600. Reaching its peak in 1350, the kingdom controlled vast territories of Western Africa. Trade connections became the source of the empire’s prosperity; gold, salt, copper, and slaves were the four leading trade commodities. Internal strife set the empire into a spiral of military defeat, economic decline, and a final collapse in 1600.

Dodo - Mauritius

Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Islands, a small archipelago formed by the Réunion hotspot. This volcanic zone has been active over the last 65 million years and is responsible for creating the island of Mauritius 8 to 10 million years ago. It also formed the islands of Rodrigues and Réunion 2 million years ago.

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Raphus cucllatus - The dodo was first sighted by Portuguese sailors in 1507. They described it as a sluggish bird and not afraid of humans. It was a flightless bird, slightly larger than a turkey, and weighing a hefty 23 kilos. The dodo is one of three species making up the family Raphidae. The last recorded sighting of the dodo occurred in 1681. The two other members of the Raphidae family, the Réunion and Rodrigues solitaire, also became extinct. The dodo disappeared less than 100 years after their first encounter with humans.

Emu - Australia

England used its American holdings as penal colonies; the state of Georgia was founded as such. Following the Revolutionary War, England had to find new horizons to set up its penal institutions. Australia suited those needs and inmates began arriving at Norfolk Island, Queensland, New South Wales, and Tasmania.

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Dromaius novaehollandiae - The emu can grow to heights of 2 meters. It is the largest bird in Australia and the second largest in the world; the ostrich is the largest. Females initiate courtship and once a bond has been established, the breeding pair will remain together for about five months. It is the male who constructs the nest and incubates the eggs; he will not eat or drink for almost eight weeks. The female will continue to add one egg to the nest every two or three days until the total count reaches approximately 11 eggs.

Common Kiwi - New Zealand

New Zealand’s remoteness allowed it to be one of the last large landmasses to be inhabited by humans. The first inhabitants, the Maori, were Polynesian seafarers arriving between 1250 and 1300; Europeans arrived in 1642. The Maori were able to establish a civilization standing apart from other Pacific Polynesian societies.

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Apteryz australis - In proportion to body size, the egg of the common kiwi is the largest of any bird. A mature female will lay an egg weighing an average .45  kilos. This is one quarter of her total body weight. Kiwi eggs have the highest yolk content of any bird. The chick hatching from this rich food source does not need to eat for several days after hatching. One egg is usually laid per breeding cycle and hatches within 63 to 92 days. For the common kiwi, incubation of the egg is a task reserved for the male.