Argentavis: Giant of the Miocene Sky

*Argentavis magnificens* was among the largest known flying birds. Fossils and flight models suggest it lived in Argentina about 6 million years ago and may have had a wingspan of roughly 6–7 metres. Flight calculations suggest that it used rising air over the pampas and near Andean slopes to soar. This is a reconstruction based on fossils and aerodynamic models; we cannot know how long any particular flight lasted.