India, Nov. 7 -- A fossil found in an Indonesian cave has led researchers to identify a previously unknown species of giant prehistoric bird related to modern chickens. The bird is estimated to have weighed around 3.9 kg (8.6 pounds), making it considerably heavier than its living relatives.

Named Megapodius rokusi, the bird was identified from a fossilised leg bone recovered from Liang Bua cave on the Indonesian island of Flores. According to a report by PEOPLE, the bone was discovered in 2009 but has only now been identified as belonging to a previously unknown species.

The research was published in October 2026 in the journal Alcheringa.

The fossil was recovered from cave deposits dating back between 190,000 and 120,000 years. The b...