I'd like to see a dire eagle take off.

[Nyeshet]

Um, the article is only about feathered birds.

Pterasaurs could actually get quite a bit bigger as they used taunt skin instead of feathers - suggesting that bats could perhaps also get bigger than birds.

 

[Zzyzx]

What's this Dire Eagle thing from?

All I see in the SRD is the giant eagle, which is not an Animal, but rather a Magical Beast.

Cheers, -- N

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dire_eagle#Races_of_Stone

 

[jdrakeh]

However it is not a bird of today its a bird of yesterday.

Actually, it (i.e., the dire eagle) is a bird of pure fantasy.

 

[Blood Jester]

Indeed, since this was posted in a D&D forum, we are taking what we know of birds today and attempting to apply it to imaginary birds that never existed, who live in a world that does not exist.

I believe Moon Lancer was addressing assumptions in the article, not commentary regarding Dire Eagles and Rocs.

{For ex. By measuring the size of the bones they determined how large its flight muscles would have been, and calculated that it would not have been capable of takeoff or of sustained flight just by flapping its wings.}

 

[Pale]

Yes, I do beleive that she was refering to Argentavis, the point of the posted article.

Wonder how they now it was a silver bird?

 

[Fifth Element]

I believe Moon Lancer was addressing assumptions in the article, not commentary regarding Dire Eagles and Rocs.

{For ex. By measuring the size of the bones they determined how large its flight muscles would have been, and calculated that it would not have been capable of takeoff or of sustained flight just by flapping its wings.}

Um, yeah. You may have noticed I was not rebutting Moon Lancer, but rather building upon Moon Lancer's comment.

Just trying to keep it on-topic for an RPG-only forum.

Edit: Notice the title of the thread - "I'd like to see a dire eagle take off." I'd like to see a dire eagle, period.

 

[Pale]

Ah, nevermind, found this on Wiki:

Argentavis magnificens (literally "Magnificent Argentine Bird")

 

[Pale]

And here I thought he was rebutting jdrakeh, which would have been appropriate. <laugh> that's what I get for reading posts chronologically and not checking who has been quoted.

 

[Moon-Lancer]

well i thought the point was op was using the article to make a point about the flight of giant/dire birds in d&d. The Article says the bird had a skull 2 feet long. Not quite a giant eagle but still pretty big.

I think the real problem comes about (in real life) when someone is mounted on a giant bird. Birds use very sophisticated biology to fly but adding more weight like a person could ground them. If dire birds could fly without to much trouble they would have a problem carrying rider. However d&d realism should be suspended for the awsomeness that is "riding a giant eagle into battle"

 

[Agamon]

I'd like to see a dragon take off. Or breathe fire for that matter. Ridiculous.