The Bennu heron (Ardea bennuides) is an extinct species of pelecaniform bird in the Ardeidae family that inhabited the present-day United Arab Emirates. It is believed to be the inspiration for the Bennu from Egyptian mythology, hence its scientific name.
Features[]
Ardea bennuides is only known from a tibiotarus fragment found at the archeological site of Umm al-Nar in the Persian Gulf (United Arab Emirates) and formally described by the Danish geologist Ella Hoch The remains date from 3500 BC . c. (about 5000 years ago). Hoch only gives us a brief description, without mentioning the size of the bone or the exact location of where it was found, however it cannot be considered a nomen nudum, as a photo of the bone has been published. Ardea bennuides was older than Ardea goliath, the largest living heron.