Eleutherornis helveticus

Eleutherornis helveticus is an extinct flightless bird from the Eocene of Switzerland, sometimes tentatively placed within Gastornidae or as an independent flightless taxon. A large cursorial bird, it likely occupied the ecological role of a terrestrial carnivore or omnivore in the subtropical Eocene forests of central Europe. Its name means 'free bird of Helvetia.' The fragmentary nature of its remains has hampered definitive phylogenetic placement and ecological reconstruction.