Duck of Doom

I don't think 12G 3 1/2" Steel shotshells would have cut the mustard.




"Dromornis planei was a massive bird with a formidable bill. It belonged to a uniquely Australian family of extinct flightless birds, the dromornithids (mihirungs). Because of the close relationship between mihirungs and ducks, Dromornis planei has been nicknamed the 'Demon Duck of Doom'.

Dromornis planei was a heavily built bird with a long neck and enormous legs. It was as tall as an ostrich but far more massive. The skull of Dromornis planei was similar in size to a horse’s head and had a deep, curved bill.

Most of the wing bones are unknown for Dromornis planei, and what we know about its sternum (breastbone) comes from small fragments. Like other mihirung species, Dromornis planei probably also had stubby little wings and lacked a keel on its sternum. These features are associated with flightlessness.

The diet of mihirungs has been much debated. The skull and massive bill of Dromornis planei is at the centre of the mihirung diet debate. It was first suggested that the bill of Dromornis planei was specialised for cropping and breaking into tough plant material.

Gastroliths (gizzard stones) have been discovered alongside the bones of mihirungs Genyornis, Dromornis stirtoni, and Ilbandornis at some fossil sites. In living birds, gastroliths are swallowed to help grind plant material, as an alternative to chewing. Fossils of mihirungs such as Dromornis planei are very common at some sites, whereas carnivores are generally rare.

But some researchers have argued that the bill of Dromornis planei was more suited to tearing meat and crushing bones, similar to the unrelated terror birds (Diatryma) of South America."

Little Bill Daggett knows something about the Duck of Death, but never heard of the Duck of Doom.

Sounds similar to the Terror Birds of South America

The Duck of Death...

^^^

Punt gun. They make slugs for punt guns?