Cuban flightless crane
| Cuban flightless crane | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tibiotarsus of Grus cubensis (top), with those of Propelargus edwardsi (middle) and Palaelodus gracilipes (bottom) for comparison, at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin | |
| Fossil | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Gruidae |
| Genus: | Grus |
| Species: | G. cubensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Grus cubensis Fischer & Stephan, 1971 | |
The Cuban flightless crane (Grus cubensis) is a large, extinct species of crane that was endemic to the island of Cuba in the Caribbean. The remains were found in Pleistocene deposits in Pinar del Rio. Probably derived from an early invasion of sandhill cranes from North America, it differed from that species by, as well as larger size, having a proportionately broader bill, stockier legs, and with reduced wings and pectoral girdle indicating flightlessness.[1]
References
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