Goliathia

Goliathia is an extinct genus of bird from the Early Oligocene.^[1] The holotype is an ulna recovered from lower beds of the Jebel Qatrani Formation in Faiyum Governorate, Egypt. Initially thought to be a heron, an additional bone, a tarsometatarsus, showed this bird to be closely related to the living shoebill. Its full name is Goliathia andrewsii, but may be closely related enough to be classed within the same genus as the living species. The ancient habitat was likely a thickly vegetated freshwater swamp, with this species and a fossil jacana, as well as lungfish and catfish recovered from it. The Goliathia Andrewsii likely ate lungfish and catfish.^[2] New studies show that the Goliathia Andrewsii may have reached sizes of 6 - 6.5 feet tall.

Goliathia Temporal range: 33–28 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Pelecaniformes
Family:	Balaenicipitidae
Genus:	†Goliathia Lambrecht, 1930
Species:	†G. andrewsii
Binomial name
†Goliathia andrewsii Lambrecht, 1930