Colius
Encyclopedia
Colius is a bird
genus
in the family
Coliidae. It contains the following species:
A fossil
species, Colius hendeyi, was described from Early Pliocene remains found at Langebaanweg
in South Africa
.
Some Miocene
taxa from France
were previously assigned to Colius. Of these, only the Middle Miocene
"Colius" palustris might plausibly belong there, but it is more often separated in Necrornis. In younger lineages like Passeriformes, extant genera (e.g. Menura and Orthonyx) were around by then, though it must be remembered that simply because two taxa are of same taxonomic rank
they do not need to be of the same age. All that can be said is that while it cannot be ruled out that the modern genus Colius was around in Miocene Europe, it more likely evolve
d later, and probably in sub-Saharan Africa
.
"Colius" archiaci, "C." consobrinus and "C." paludicola on the other hand are 3 taxa described from fragmentary remains found at Saint-Gérand-le-Puy. Their taxonomic history is convoluted, being initially described as woodpecker
s and variously merged and split. Today it is believed that they might all belong to a species in the modern genus Urocolius
, or at least 2 into a prehistoric genus Limnatornis.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Coliidae. It contains the following species:
- Speckled MousebirdSpeckled MousebirdThe Speckled Mousebird is the largest species of mousebird, as well as one of the most common.- Description :This bird is about 35 cm long, with the tail comprising approximately half the length, and weighs about 57 grams...
, Colius striatus - White-headed MousebirdWhite-headed MousebirdThe White-headed Mousebird is a bird belonging to the mousebird family, Coliidae. It is found only in east Africa where it occurs in southern Somalia and parts of Kenya with its range just extending into southern Ethiopia and northern Tanzania...
, Colius leucocephalus - Red-backed MousebirdRed-backed MousebirdThe Red-backed Mousebird is a species of bird in the Coliidae family.It is found in Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 28 July 2007.-External links:*...
, Colius castanotus - White-backed MousebirdWhite-backed MousebirdThe White-backed Mousebird is a large species of mousebird. It is distributed in western and central regions of southern Africa from Namibia and southern Botswana eastwards to Central Transvaal and the eastern Cape....
, Colius colius
A fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
species, Colius hendeyi, was described from Early Pliocene remains found at Langebaanweg
Langebaanweg
Langebaanweg is a town on the southwest coast of South Africa, in Western Cape Province.It is the location of the air force base AFB Langebaanweg l....
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Some Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
taxa from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
were previously assigned to Colius. Of these, only the Middle Miocene
Middle Miocene
The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene....
"Colius" palustris might plausibly belong there, but it is more often separated in Necrornis. In younger lineages like Passeriformes, extant genera (e.g. Menura and Orthonyx) were around by then, though it must be remembered that simply because two taxa are of same taxonomic rank
Taxonomic rank
In biological classification, rank is the level in a taxonomic hierarchy. Examples of taxonomic ranks are species, genus, family, and class. Each rank subsumes under it a number of less general categories...
they do not need to be of the same age. All that can be said is that while it cannot be ruled out that the modern genus Colius was around in Miocene Europe, it more likely evolve
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
d later, and probably in sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
.
"Colius" archiaci, "C." consobrinus and "C." paludicola on the other hand are 3 taxa described from fragmentary remains found at Saint-Gérand-le-Puy. Their taxonomic history is convoluted, being initially described as woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s and variously merged and split. Today it is believed that they might all belong to a species in the modern genus Urocolius
Urocolius
Urocolius is a small genus of mousebirds. It consists of two species which inhabit Eastern and Southern Africa:* Blue-naped Mousebird, Urocolius macrourus* Red-faced Mousebird, Urocolius indicus...
, or at least 2 into a prehistoric genus Limnatornis.