This is bird note.

There are parrots, and then there are parrots.

New Zealand, which is home to the world's largest parrot, the flightless

cockapoe, was once the home to an even larger parrot, much larger. Fossils from

between 16 and 19 million years ago include those of a massive parrot that stood three feet tall about hip high to most adult humans.

It's estimated that the bird weighed around 15 pounds and probably didn't fly.

The giant parrot has been christened Heracles in expectatus.

Heracles is the Greek name for the brawny demigod the Romans new as Hercules.

And in expect tattoos?

You guessed it, totally unexpected.

Researchers have given the bird a more contemporary nickname,

Squawk Zilla. Being flightless wouldn't have put Squaxilla at particular risk

because New Zealand lacked land predators back then.

No one knows just what the giant parrot ate, but living on the floor of a subtropical forest

quite likely offered enough types of fruits for Squawkzilla to grow big and strong.

It's safe to say he was probably eating quite a bit more than his smaller modern day counterparts.

For Bird Note, I'm Michael Stein.

Support for Bird Note is provided by Jerry Tone and Martha Wyckoff from Seattle,

Washington, and generous listeners around the world. You're going to be.