Giant eagles and scavenging vultures shared the skies of ancient Australia

A flock of vultures (_Cryptogyps lacertosus_) and Australian ravens watch and wait (left), as an adult eagle _Dynatoaetus pachyosteus_ feeds on the carcass of a dead _Diprotodon_ (centre), while a younger bird seeks to join in. In the nearby treetops, a second adult _D. pachyosteus_ feeds its hungry chick (right). John Barrie

Today, Australia is home to 17 species of hawks and eagles. But the fossil record shows some other, rather special raptors were present in the relatively recent past.

Tens of thousands of years ago, Australia was home to species such as Dynatoaetus gaffae, the largest eagle ever to have lived in Australia, and Cryptogyps lacertosus, our only known vulture.