Here is scientific discussion concerning the difficultly of Argentina Magnificens fight. A.M.'s wing span was 7m and it was estimated to have weighed roughly 70 to 72 kg which is three times heavier the heaviest current bird the Great Kori Bustard, which has great difficulty taking off. (Kori Bustard must run into a head wind.)
The authors postulate that the Argentina Magnificens could not take off on its own power, but need a slope and a strong head wind.
http://www.pnas.org/content/104/30/12398.full.pdf+html
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Few prehistoric animals have captured the imaginations of paleontologists so profoundly as has Argentavis magnificens from the upper Miocene (approx. 6 million years ago) of Argentina with its enormous size and predatory lifestyle. With an estimated mass of 70–72 kg and a wingspan of approx. 7 m, it was the world’s largest known flying bird (1–10), about the size of a Cessna 152 light aircraft.
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Takeoff and landing are the two most arduous tasks for large flying birds. The Great Kori Bustard (Ardeotis tardi) is the largest modern flying bird, with body masses up to 18 kg (19), but it takes off only with great difficulty by running like taxiing aircraft (20). Could Argentavis, approx. 3.5 times heavier than the Great Kori Bustard, take off from the ground? The large size of Argentavis and its postulated inability to maintain sustained flight raise questions about how it was able to launch itself into the air.
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