| Abstract: | Sylviornis neocaledoniae is represented in the sites of Kanumera, Isle of Pines, by a few cranial elements (palatines, quadrates, quadratojugal) but mainly by post-cranial remains. The fact that palatines are fused in the sagittal plane proves the palate of Sylviornis to be neognathous. The flightless bird's post-cranial skeleton is highly modified, but some anatomical characters show it can be assigned to Galliformes, and, amongst them, is closer to recent or extinct Megapodes than to any other family, Sylviornis neocaledoniae was probably exterminated by man who preserved its mythological memory under the name of Du. |
