US research identifies world's biggest-ever flying bird with a wing span exceeding a football goal width

WASHINGTON: US researchers said Monday they have identified the fossilized remains of an extinct giant bird that could be the biggest flying bird ever found.

With a wingspan of 20 to 24 feet (6.1 to 7.3 meters), Pelagornis sandersi surpassed size estimates based on wing bones from the previous record holder -- a long-extinct bird named Argentavis magnificens -- and was twice as big as the Royal Albatross, the largest flying bird today.