Have you ever heard of the Terror Bird?
He was real, it’s not absurd
At ten feet tall
his turds weren’t small
and his face alone
could turn you to stone
It would have frightened me so
to be kicked with his toe
knocked out with his breath
then pecked to death
What could I say to not be his prey?
“Good day, Mr Bird, I won’t get in your way”
“Whatever you want, whatever you say”
“It’s not nice to eat
my flesh for your meat”
It’s a relief to now know
His reign is no go
Terror Bird is toast
just bones at the most
or maybe . . . a 40 pound roast?
“An army of huge carnivorous “terror birds” — some as big as 10 feet tall — ruled South America for tens of millions of years before going extinct some 2.5 million years ago.”
“Now, with the discovery of a new species of terror bird called Llallawavis scagliai [in Argentina] paleontologists are gaining fresh insight into this fearsome family of top predators.”
“Llallawavis likely lived around 3.5 million years ago, near the end of terror birds’ reign, according to the researchers. It stood about four feet tall and weighed about 40 pounds.”
An article describing the findings was published online March 20 in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/10/terror-bird-fossil-discovered_n_7040716.html
CURIOUS to the MAX 
An ancestor to ostrich, possibly? It could fly? Or not? OK, I should check out your links….
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Jacqui,
Apparently they couldn’t fly http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phorusrhacidae
Don’t know about the ostrich but they were thought to be carnivores. The fossil found was about 4 feet tall but they were thought to reach 10 feet. That’s a LOT of bird.
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Goody! I love dark meat! There will be plenty on this big fowl!
Great for me, terrifying for him.
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Ah, yes, you are well known in giant bird circles as Shocking Slow-Roast Shari
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Oh my goodness – I must insist, I am verily misunderstood – my comments are meant only to improve. OK, next crit group meeting, I will improve myself by tying my lips in a twist!
I am laughing out loud, BTW!
Signed,
Shocking Slow-Roast Shari (Sometimes I’m a quick sizzle!)
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Hey! Quick Sizzle,
Now, I’m laughing out loud!
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That’s creepy.
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Elizabeth!
CREEPY!!! I’ve seen the promo for your books! The Terror Bird is like a purring kitty cat in comparison!
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Yikes.
That time after the dinosaurs and before the big mammals was a great time to be a bird. Not a great time to be a small mammal running around, but looking around I think we made out ok.
—
Tim Brannan, The Other Side Blog
2015 A to Z of Vampires
http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/
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Tim,
Not sure you are looking around the same ground I’m looking! Seems to me that humans now are finding a way to peck one another to death . . .!!!!!!!
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This one would NOT be a candidate for a children’s book, or entry into a child’s book for learning the alphabet.
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Rick,
I’m patterning my literary “career” after Roald Dahl and what 10 year old boys find amusing.
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Love your poem! You wouldn’t want to meet him on a dark night.
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Purrfect,
Wouldn’t want to meet him in daylight either.
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I don’t think this guy will fit in my birdcage. Wouldn’t you love to see his plumage?
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Shari B-P,
You just need a bigger birdcage. Yes, the plumage would be fascinating, I just am not sure it would be “fluffy”.
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But I would name him Fluffy, of course! And not willing to find out if him is a her.
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Shari B-P,
Fluffy is not gender specific – unless you spell it Fluffie – and I think a perfect name for your Terrible Terror Bird.
(If Fluffy is a “her” she will provide you with one hell of an omelet)
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Just passing by on the AtoZ challenge, nearly home, good blog liked the terror bird ditty
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Michael,
Thanks for passing by my ditty!
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