Argentavis - The Heaviest Flying Birds

[@MyMomSaysImKeen]

Argentavis was the founder of the movement known as, "Flight at Any Size," in birdy positivity circles.

[@bharathv5020]

and Flex at Any Given Height at Flight

[@jagerdergroe8604]

That movement was founded long ago by Quetzalcoatlus lol.

[@Corvus_Clemmons]

⁠@@jagerdergroe8604Quetzacoatlus’ weight is often distributed, but some place it at as low as 70kg, so not really a “health at any size” type.

[@Corvus_Clemmons]

@@jagerdergroe8604Also not a bird

[@whitewolf3051]

Imagine *if* they were still around, capable flight with extra weight, weren’t dangerous to people, they *would* make for nice aerial mounts.

[@TomFynn]

And when the Agentavis tucks its chicks in at night, he tells them: "Never forget, kids, that you are descendants of the T-Rex."

[@abdulazizrex]

It’s amazing that these huge birds were more active predators rather than just being giant vultures!

[@JJONNYREPP]

Argentavis - The Heaviest Flying Birds 3.1.23 1333pm creeps aside... who hunted them into extinction...?

[@WalrusWinking]

@@JJONNYREPP Noone hunted them into extinction, dude.

[@JJONNYREPP]

@@WalrusWinking Argentavis - The Heaviest Flying Birds 1730pm 11.1.24 what we discussing now, dude? the rok.. the massive flightless bird which was hunted into extinction, wasn't it? along with the dodo which was allegedly eaten into extinction... these birds didnt just die out. they must have been done away with... damn shame, though. i like feats of stamina and i enjoy creatures which can grow to extortionate sizes... dumb brutes. though allegedly the whale for all it's aquatic nonsense has a brain which if put to use could solve the entire universe's issues in one good nights sleep...

[@WalrusWinking]

@@JJONNYREPP The Argentavis went extinct exactly around the Younger Dryas event Humans didn't cause that.

[@bkjeong4302]

@@WalrusWinking Argentavis went extinct way before the Younger Dryas event (as in, millions of years before). Do your fucking research. Also, the idea the Younger Dryas event caused Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions is questionable, because it wasn’t some one-off catastrophe megafauna couldn’t handle: it was merely the usual climatic fluctuation caused by the disruption of North Atlantic currents that happened at the start of most interglacials WITHOUT causing extinctions.

[@Mikailodon]

A giant running vulture relative with a 6 meter wingspan be a sight to behold in the Miocene Andes. Informative video!

[@bartolomeorizzo]

I'm so glad we finally have an in deep video about argentavis, thankyou so much for the high quality of your work. This said it's such a shame there isn't much modern paloart about these incredible birds, especially with up to date knowledge..

[@dukecity7688]

The artwork here is the best I've seen - the human skull named random, cracked me up. I loved this.

[@mishmashmedley]

I've seen some turkey vultures up close, standing on top of my storage building. They were sunning themselves with their wings extended, turning slowly to keep the sun on them. at least 6 feet span, if not more.

[@Newbmann]

Argentavis better known as the best ark flyer.

[@JJONNYREPP]

Argentavis - The Heaviest Flying Birds 1334pm 3.1.24 how are they translating the name..... silver air?

[@GAMMU172]

Yes it can kill alpha rexes and alpha carnos

[@mhdfrb9971]

Argentavis and its relatives are often depicted as vulture-like animals (soaring scavengers), but we’ve known for quite some time now that they weren’t actually like this. They were instead caracara-like terrestrial predators, walking around on foot and looking for small animals to prey on. Since this thing lived too far east for the then-rising Andes to play a role, the idea nowadays is that the same well-developed legs it evolved for stalking prey on foot also gave it a bit of an extra boost during takeoff.

[@Afrologist]

Pure speculation; if Argentavis & the other Teratorns primarily ate small animals, then why did they die off once the rest of the megafauna disappeared? These scientists are smoking crack trying to gaslight people that a scaled up Turkey Vulture that vanished once the large herbivores did was somehow more like a Terror Bird than a scaled-up Vulture. Absolute insanity. If they truly primarily fed on smaller game then they would've survived like the Condors & Caracas did; however, that didn't happen.

[@edmondantes4338]

You watched the video, impressive.

[@jeffslade1892]

I do not know if you have ever watched golden eagle taking off on level ground, they do not "flap" their wings but employ a leisurely pumping action, not striking the ground as they gain speed. And then go into an effortless vertical climb trading air speed for altitude. Once aloft they'll use air currents.

[@TheAnimalKingdom-tq3sz]

Argentavis: It's over! I have the high ground! Pelagornis: You underestimated my power!

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Funny how Argentavis remains the more thicc of the two.

[@beardedgeek973]

As far as I remember swans are some of the heaviest birds compared to their wingspan. Which is why they can only land and take off from water. We just don't think it's impressive, because we see them so often.

[@CAMSLAYER13]

Being relatively heavy isn't as obviously impressive

[@anfunifr3nzy610]

What about Kori bustard

[@Shenordak]

Swans (mute and trumpeter) alongside bustards are the heaviest flying birds alive today. Like you say, it's kind of mindblowing actually that a very common bird species like the mute swan is so special.

[@cristianvia-rd2py]

The largest mute swan specimen was a male and weighed about 22 kg

[@cristianvia-rd2py]

The largest mute swan specimen was a male and weighed about 22 kg

[@prototropo]

I really love the detailed contingencies, like primary-feather size, launch or soaring priority, body mass, pectoral muscle weight as a proportion, beak shape, skull shape, etc. These are very compelling data to mull over and I'm grateful for all the research invested in just one extinct species, especially for what might sound like arcana to some viewers. (It's not; more like the flesh & bones of the story! )

[@minted1841]

Take off & landing must have been impressive :)

[@bellywood7688]

What about the take off and landing of the biggest Pterosaurs?😮

[@Shenordak]

​@@bellywood7688Pterosaurs had a very different anatomy with their quadropedal gait. Would have been a sight!

[@DarkKatzy013]

Nice . Awesome video on one of my favorite ancient birds thank yous 🐈‍⬛🐾

[@infectiousproduction812]

they have a inventory too ;-)

[@eledhwenmare2403]

Love the art. Especially the opening thumbnail.

[@The_PokeSaurus]

After learning more about their more predatory abilities and swallowing small prey I cannot help but think of them as Ice Age Azhdarchids.

[@beastmaster0934]

Imagine if Argentavis was still around today. Livestock, pets, and young children would all be in danger with this bird soaring the skies.

[@oceanbacon3535]

That’s the bird that I use to go on metal runs

[@silverknights4442]

This dudes are amazing at carrying metal btw

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Damn right.

[@elnovillomapuchedehomerus2412]

Since brids are dinosaurs wouldn't argentavis also be considered as the heaviest flying dinosaur?

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Yes indeed! :)

[@Fowlaarr]

Wouldn’t that be a quetzal

[@elnovillomapuchedehomerus2412]

@@Fowlaarr that's a flying reptile not a dinosaur.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

@@FortescueGimlet Well, you're wrong mate. They're in Dinosauria. They're still living theropods. :)

[@elnovillomapuchedehomerus2412]

@@FortescueGimlet how is argentavis not a dinosaur explain me please?

[@notoriousbigmoai1125]

I think the Haast's Eagle is the only giant bird-of-prey capable of powered flight (flapping) without needing a place with high altitude or high wind currents.

[@ewanz.gregory9175]

In think it would've looked like a giant booted eagle with shortened wings like an accepter.

[@mhdfrb9971]

Nope. Because the place of argentavis fossil been found were not mountainous today and certainly not 5 mya, yet it's still fully capable of flight.

[@cristianvia-rd2py]

Because haast eagle was way more smaller than arentavis

[@jaguartigreamericanocangus6191]

Among the necrophagous raptors, the cathartiformes (catartids and teratornitids) are my favorites, thank you bro for this fantastic video 🤝🏻😎👍🏻🤩

[@xeltanni8999]

RIP Cooter. Never forget.

[@Susie_Floozie]

The thumbnail piece looked so much like Frank Frazetta's work I HAD to check it out! I can tell artist Brennan Stokkermans is on an excellent career path.

[@maozilla9149]

good show

[@khristopherlawrence7493]

Great video as always Henry, thank you! I love this bird ever since I discovered it's existence.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Was really fun to work on, so I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's crazy how big they were.

[@Alberad08]

A flying bird with possibly up to 70 kg, combined with 'just' 6 m wing span - boy, that's a lot to swallow. 😯

[@purplehaze2358]

I would’ve loved to see these magnificent beasts in flight for myself.

[@rickharold7884]

Cool. Happy new year!

[@paulbasaur]

very cool

[@dagoodboy6424]

Albatross eagle vultures? Thats a new one.

[@johnwalker9315]

One day it will blow your mind, if i ever get my book done about Argentavis!

[@Joaking91]

Another day, another coronación de gloria.

[@aminislam4884]

Very Interesting 😮

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Glad you think so!

[@powdernitz]

most well rounded animal in ark. accessible to low level players, but a leveled up one can take on anything but a giga or titanosaurus.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Interesting to hear, though never played it myself lol

[@radix133]

Wait! I know I've read stories of a huge bird called a "Roc" somewhere before.

[@et34t34fdf]

I mean, old world vultures often have eagle beaks, still scavengers though, so a beak only tells part of the story.

[@Johnjacobjingleheimr]

Are there any skeletons that have been found of these and are on display?& if so the dimensions of what its body parts would be.?

[@NunyaBidnis-jk2kt]

what's a monster bood?

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

A kiwi way of saying bird I guess, haha.

[@fenika3]

Artist credit on that condor chart please.

[@Shenordak]

Seems to me that these birds could have been comparable in ecological niche and habits to modern secretary birds, i.e. primarily terrestrial predators with a backup flight capability. Or would their legs be proportionally too short?

[@kade-qt1zu]

Look up Caracara.

[@JJONNYREPP]

Argentavis - The Heaviest Flying Birds 1327pm 3.1.24 the Roc couldn't fly, though. are you suggesting this was the nearest airborne relative to the mighty and impressive Roc? sounds like they would have scavenged and preyed on some genus of mountain goat... dropping their prey from a large height. it is perplexing to me as to how such a bird, if you say it is as large as the mighty Roc, was able to get itself into the thermal heights after dropping to earth to feast(?)

[@melanimatejak6821]

'Some random dude' 😂

[@Shade_Dragon]

they all sound like old myths of extremely large birds, such as rocs. but yeah teratorns sound like Hell Seagulls

[@WeAreInYourWall]

Also sorry, when you factor in the insane biology of things like swifts, and well, almost any other existent bird Things like the proportion of its flight feathers in relation to its pectorals , become less constricting Since we have no grasp of the excess mutations and biology its quite silly to say “this large, clearly flight capable animal cant fly based on modern animals proportions” Do you imagine the just trudged around on the floor with meter long feathers ? And somehow have the same range as flying animals except on foot while a million species of large hyper carnivore roamed? Theyd never have had the chance to evolve much less leave evidence in the fossil record if they did somehow exist for what could only have been a fleeting moment with such impractical proportions for life on the ground.. I think personally it makes less sense to make such wild assumptions based on a lack of knowledge and variables like extra properties and physical mechanisms These things couldve had an overdeveloped extra claw or special grouping of feathers , that used mechanical leverage to launch themselves like a flea for all we know based on how much info is missing It could have been much more solar powered and used that energy for flight Or made elaborate use of leading edge vortices on the tip of each feather literally increasing the generated lift by several orders of magnitude There are so , so many options The least likely of which is they didnt fly at all.

[@SheetGhostWithBones]

I FUCKING LOVE THIS FUCK-ASS BIRD RAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

I'm going to be using that as a common term for them now. 😂

[@AnEcologistPlays]

An absolutely brilliant deep dive into an absolutely amazing bird! Thanks!😁

[@mortemrexenjoyer9964]

If it aint a level 145 with at least 6k stamina and 5k health and a ascendant saddle then i dont want it

[@NunyaBidnis-jk2kt]

Speak up, project your voice, so we can hear what your saying underneath all of that sibilance

[@madderhat5852]

Thank you but you forgot the penguin,which lost the ability to fly after the introduction of French fries 🍟

[@1998topornik]

Argentavis-terror bird that can fly

[@Spino256]

The most interesting part is argentavis and terror birds lived together.

[@epidotes]

I find amazing that there's probably so many extinct bird species that we will never know about due to there bones not fossilising

[@d1egomon194]

Hehe, metal birb

[@dylansearcy3966]

I first about argentavis through ark survival

[@SCR_ProductionsYT]

Could we ride these birds?

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Unfortunately not. No shot they could hold our weight on top of having to soar.

[@MyMomSaysImKeen]

Maybe they could be used as a childrens ride specifically if notfor adults. It seems like a delightful way to let kids take flight. What could possibly go wrong??? ​@@HenrythePaleoGuy

[@SCR_ProductionsYT]

@@HenrythePaleoGuy If these birds were still among us, do you think the ”stork bringing children to their families” superstition could have suffered some modifications?

[@eybaza6018]

The birds giveth,and the birds taketh@@SCR_ProductionsYT

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

@@MyMomSaysImKeen I suspect they would require alot of socialisation to not try and eat the children though

[@brianedwards7142]

You keep mentioning albatross but failed to say what flavour.

[@stopwatchstudios9622]

Contrary to popular belief dinosaurs never went extinct, pterosaurs went extinct and dinosaurs filled their niche

[@TeyuYagua]

Argentavis: the cenozoic version of the azhdarchids

[@Johnjacobjingleheimr]

This,so far has been the only bird I believe that could possibly fit the footprint I found...🤔

[@Vibin_jellies]

They’d all be dead by now my guy

[@davidegaruti2582]

Ok this is very intresting ! Argentavis was basically a 70 kg caracara !

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Essentially so! Makes them all the more unique. :)

[@dylansearcy3966]

What about eagles

[@minted1841]

🦅

[@marvinbange1216]

I think a video about why flying birds could never reach giant pterosaur sizes would be awesome!

[@WeAreInYourWall]

Size, or weight?

[@marvinbange1216]

@@WeAreInYourWall Well both really, but mostly weight

[@bartolomeorizzo]

@@marvinbange1216 @WeAreInYourWall actually both and neither. The main factor is posture and wings not being used to jump. I mean if one day birds started knuckle walking..

[@znail4675]

It's pretty simple really. Birds have two distinct muscle groups for walking and flight making both being large needed for a large bird unless one mode is sacrificed. That is why the largest living birds can't fly and the largest flying ones tends to be poor walkers. Pterosaurs use the same muscles for walking and flying making for more effective use of the body mass and why they can scale up to larger sizes. This also means that even the largest Pterosaurs would still be quite mobile on the ground and have no problem getting into the air.

[@marvinbange1216]

@@znail4675 Yeah i know the answer, just think it would be a nice topic of a following video

[@whitewolf3051]

Imagine *if* they were still around, capable flight with extra weight, weren’t dangerous to people, they *would* make for nice aerial mounts.

[@reeyees50]

They would be food

[@whitewolf3051]

@masterbaiter8961 What part of "if" and "would," both of which emphasized in bold fonts, did you not understand?

[@whitewolf3051]

@masterbaiter8961 Well...people have been fantasizing about flying on aerial mounts since ever, with arts ancient and modern depicting such, in all media, from comics to games. So figured it was natural for anyone to guess what I meant, but looks like it was to vague. So...my bad?! Apologies for not being clear enough then.

[@Shenordak]

​@@whitewolf3051A large pterosaue would be a better bet, but even so I doubt it would be possible.

[@whitewolf3051]

@@Shenordak Considering there were books and images of people riding both birds or pteranodons as far back as the late 19th century - 1800's. As well as depiction in early comics doing the same, despite the impossibility, can you blame people wanting flying animal mounts - be they birds, bats, pterosaurs? In fact, people wanting flying mounts dates far back to ancient times, why else would people dream up the Pegasus?

[@troygarza5720]

I have flown this on ark it's mid if even but just think modern humans lived with these things. Imagine humans kids getting snatched from the sky 😂

[@QuintenWhyte]

Yet somehow it DID get off the ground!

[@5chr4pn3ll]

Hard to hear what you're saying but interesting.

[@DominicRyanOsborne]

Didn't address if any of their finds included saddles and goggles

[@wonderplanet343]

Love the videos ❤ And sorry but just some very few words are slurred - hard to understand. Not like normal for you.

[@diegoPEKKA23]

Cute snake 88

[@austinpigg4201]

Does anybody else hear something in the background ?

[@mikehewitt2146]

Natives ancestors 11 thousand years ago must have seen them fly thus the thunder bird eh

[@SurfbyShootin]

10:24 Silent Hill 1 vibes

[@michaelhead7483]

Hey smart people. You wanna bring back some extinct animals Jurassic Park style. This one would be amazing to see in my lifetime. And it's not the size of a freaking mammoth

[@vylbird8014]

You need usable DNA. Preserved tissue. Argentavis is just too long ago. The Haast's eagle may be doable, but it'd have to be captive-only as the original ecosystem can't support it any more. Though it'd be one hell of a falconry bird.

[@oswurth8774]

HE USES THE VSAUCE FONT

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Sure do, lol!

[@indyreno2933]

Birds of Prey (order Falconiformes) are a very large and diverse order of birds, filling many ecological niches, there are only nine extant families of birds of prey, Cariamidae (Seriemas), Sagittariidae (Secretarybird and Fossil Relatives), Aquilidae (Eagles), Accipitridae (Hawks, Buzzards, Harriers, and Kites), Pandionidae (Ospreys), Aegypiidae (Old World Vultures), Caracaridae (Caracaras), Falconidae (Falcons, Kestrels, Hobbies, and Falconets), and Cathartidae (New World Vultures), there are also extinct families of birds of prey like the well known brontornithids (family Brontornithidae), the dromornithids (family Dromornithidae), the gastornithids (family Gastornithidae), the terror birds (family Phorusrhacidae), and the teratorns (family Teratornithidae).

[@madsgrams2069]

What? Where the F did you get this "info"? Dromornithids and gastornithids were part of the Anseriform order, which means they're more related to effin' ducks and swans than they are to ANY modern bird of prey. And the Galloanserae birds diverged from the Neoaves clade way back in the CREATCEOUS period. And both those families (Gastornithidae and Dromornithidae) are now believed to be mostly herbivorous. Also, there's no such thing as a family of birds called "Brontornithidae". It was a SUB-FAMILY and so it was called Brontornithinae. This sub-family has been placed within the Phorusrhacidae family, but some have put it in the Gastonirthidae family. Finally, there's no such thing as one big order of birds of prey. Being a bird of prey is simply a LIFE-STYLE, an ecological niche, and the birds that employ it are from a wide variety of different, often distantly related lineages. Falcons are more closely related to parrots than they are to any other bird of prey, just FYI. And vultures, although pretty closely related to eagles and hawks, aren't actual birds of prey, as they are scavengers.

[@Dr.Ian-Plect]

@@madsgrams2069 Indy Reno has a decade or more history of posting taxonomic misinformation and stubbornly ignoring criticism. This is simply his latest wall of bullshit.

[@hyrumhanson3390]

I wonder if they could climb, like parrots do.

[@akashselvam]

Did they compete with terror birds?

[@kade-qt1zu]

No, they would have filled seperate niches.

[@Johnjacobjingleheimr]

What makes you so sure that they are extinct?...because ... . . .👀

[@reeyees50]

Why is the volume so low on this videos sometimes?

[@youtubejosephwm6699]

Henry the Paleoguy where these birds the largest animals to fly since the pterosaurs? and are you a biology expert yes or no?

[@hedgehog3528]

#RememberCooter If you know you know

[@RobleViejo]

🇦🇷 ¡¡¡ Argentina es el Mejor Pais del Mundo !!! 🇦🇷

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Well, not quite so much with the new president, lol

[@RobleViejo]

@@HenrythePaleoGuy We will get over him like we got over Menem and De LaRúa. Argentina is the Largest Economy in Latin América after Brasil. Yet our Peso is extremely devaluated to the USD, why? Because the IMF was created specifically with that purpose. Milei is our Trump, and a puppet to USA. He used the crisis to win and now wants to sell Argentina to Blackrock. But we are Argentines. We wont let him.

[@nicksweeney5176]

This was another captivatingly informative and entertaining presentation, in the inimitable N.Z.B.O.T.W. style, but, one very ticklish and unignorable question stands unsatisfied: What did they taste like?

[@WeAreInYourWall]

Gamey, i imagine.

[@nicksweeney5176]

@@WeAreInYourWall Right! Well, that's just it! You "imagine". I could imagine it, too; but, I wanna KNOW!!

[@rileyernst9086]

I know the importance for reconstruction, but those plucked argentarvis are like any other naked bird- horrific.

[@khristopherlawrence7493]

haha right, it takes all the 'magnificence' out to a more 'raw chicken ready for the oven' look

[@Dionaea_floridensis]

Huh, like a living kite

[@sithlordhibiscus9936]

they still crashed less than Boeings!

[@youtubegrowth8010]

Enthusiastic head 94

[@kaltneta6704]

So they weren't all that vulture like. That's new to me.

[@Lalpekhlua-g9t]

You pronouncing the letters 'c' and 's' is louder than a lion's rawr😂

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

I know lol. I'm trying to reduce it in future uploads where I can

[@breadybeans5427]

bros the biggest bird

[@cynicalbuddha1660]

Speak faster. Predator birds need enough strength to carry prey. With mega fawna...a large scavenger would make more sense. The Bald Eagle scavenges. I've seen Bald Eagles and Turkey Vultures together in winter and summer. The eagles eat first. The vulture does God's work, but never flies with more than a mouthful.

[@HassanMohamed-rm1cb]

Hey Henry The PaleoGuy, why don't you also get to make a suggestion to create the KZbin Videos Shows about the evolution and the history of the Extinct Prehistoric Giant Predatory Sea Bird called the Pelagornis coming up next?!👍👍👍👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@joejoeington6899]

Swan

[@СофьяМустыгина]

Lonely duck 27

[@ivamccann5112]

Another American Native not so "mythical" thunder bird?

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Kind of, in a way! :)

[@ЕвгенияПекарская]

Athletic girl 59

[@Mis-AdventureCH]

Find the DNA, clone, release.

[@qlip]

Ark reference