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Giant flight

Photo: AFP

Lazy glider: The world’s largest known flying bird.

The largest bird known to have taken to the skies would have been a remarkable glider, say scientists. A North American team has studied the flight abilities of Argentavis magnificens, which lived six million years ago in Argentina. With its seven-metre (23ft) wingspan, the animal must have been an expert at riding thermals and updrafts. But the team says the bird might have struggled to get airborne by flapping its wings. Instead, the Arge ntavis probably used the same technique to be airborne as that employed by modern hang-gliders — by running downhill or by launching from a perch to pick up speed and lift.