Fossil birds
Encyclopedia
Birds are generally believed to have evolved from certain feathered
theropod dinosaurs, and there is no real dividing line between birds and dinosaur
s, except of course that some of the former survived the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event
while the latter did not. For the purposes of this article, a 'bird' is considered to be any member of the clade Aves sensu lato. Some dinosaur groups which may or may not be true birds are listed below under 'Proto-birds'.
This page contains a listing of prehistoric bird taxa only known from completely fossil
ized specimens. These extinctions took place before the Late Quaternary
and thus took place in the absence of significant human interference. While the earliest hominids had been eating birds and especially their eggs, human population and technology
was simply insufficient to seriously affect healthy bird populations until the Upper Paleolithic Revolution. Rather, reasons for the extinctions listed here are stochastic abiotic events such as bolide impacts, climate change
due to orbital shifts, mass volcanic eruptions etc. Alternatively, species may have gone extinct due to evolution
ary displacement by successor or competitor taxa - it is notable that an extremely large number of seabirds have gone extinct during the mid-Tertiary
; this seems at least partly due to competition by the contemporary radiation of marine mammal
s.
The relationships of these taxa are often hard to determine, as many are known only from very fragmentary remains and due to the complete fossilization precluding analysis of information from DNA
, RNA
or protein sequencing. The taxa listed in this article should be classified with the Wikipedia conservation status category "Fossil".
Before the late 19th century, when mineral
s were still considered one of the kingdom
s of binomial nomenclature
, fossils were often treated according to a parallel taxonomy
. Rather than assigning them to animal or plant genera, they were treated as mineral genera and given binomial names typically using Osteornis ("bone-bird") or Ornitholithus ("bird fossil") as "genus
". The latter name, however, is still in use for an oogenus
of fossil bird eggs. Also, other animals (in particular pterosaur
s) were placed in these "genera". In sources pre-dating the Linnean system, the above terms are also seen in the more extensive descriptions used to name taxa back then.
-level taxa and lower are sorted chronologically, in ascending order (i.e., older taxa first).
The higher-level groups of non-Neornithes are arranged based on the phylogeny proposed by Luis Chiappe, updated and expanded to incorporate recent research. The categories are inclusive in ascending order.
Please be aware that taxonomic assignments, especially in the pygostylian to early neornithine genera, are still very provisional and subject to quite frequent change.
This category contains very early fossils that some consider the earliest evidence of birds, and others which are agreed to be maniraptora
n theropods of controversial placement in regard to birds. Most scientists consider them closely related to birds, and some find them avian enough to include in the birds outright. In any case, these forms demonstrate that feathered wings and other "avian" features were not limited to true birds, but first evolved in more basal lineages of theropods.
This assemblage is by no means monophyletic: the Late Cretaceous
Rahonavis
has by now been quite firmly established to represent a vicariant endemic Malagasy
line of unenlagiine
Dromaeosauridae
. It was about as advanced as Archaeopteryx – though only half its age. The Scansoriopterygidae
, on the other hand, may come as close to an actual "proto-bird" as anything yet known to science.
" (Late Triassic) - a nomen dubium
"Palaeopteryx
" (Late Jurassic) - a nomen dubium
Oviraptorosauria
Caudipteryx
(Early Cretaceous) Therizinosauria
Beipiaosaurus
(Early Cretaceous) Alvarezsauridae
/Parvicursoridae Shuvuuia
(Late Cretaceous) Dromaeosauridae
Microraptor
(Early Cretaceous) e.g. Rahonavis
(Late Cretaceous) Archaeopterygidae
– Dromaeosauridae
? Anchiornis
(Middle Jurassic) – tentatively placed here Archaeopteryx
(Late Jurassic) Wellnhoferia
(Late Jurassic) – probably synonym of Archaeopteryx Xiaotingia
(Late Jurassic)
Basal Avialae
The most primitive "birds", usually still possessing a long bony tail with generally unfused vertebrae. Not all of these may be on the line of bird ancestors; whether they are not closer to other theropods groups than to the Avialae
remains to be thoroughly tested (see Xiaotingia
).
(Early Cretaceous) Jixiangornis
(Early Cretaceous) Jeholornis (Early Cretaceous) – sometimes called Shenzhouraptor
Zhongjianornis
(Early Cretaceous) – basal Confuciusornithidae
?
(Late Jurassic?) Scansoriopteryx
/Epidendrosaurus (Late Jurassic?)
Basal Pygostylia
The earliest birds with a modern pygostyle
: a reduction and fusion of the tail vertebrae; possibly a paraphyletic group. Two types of pygostyle are known, a rod-shaped one found in Confuciusornithidae
, Enantiornithes
and some non-avian theropods such as Nomingia
, and a plowshare
-shaped one, only known in the lineage leading to modern birds. It is not certain that the pygostyles found in birds are indeed synapomorphies.
(Early Cretaceous) - (eu)enantiornithine? Shanweiniao
(Early Cretaceous) - (eu)enantiornithine? Abavornis
(Late Cretaceous) - (eu)enantiornithine? Catenoleimus
(Late Cretaceous) - enantiornithine? Explorornis
(Late Cretaceous) - (eu)enantiornithine? Incolornis
(Late Cretaceous) - (eu)enantiornithine?
(Early Cretaceous) Sapeornis
(Early Cretaceous) Shenshiornis
(Early Cretaceous)
(Early Cretaceous) Confuciusornis
(Early Cretaceous) Eoconfuciusornis
(Dabeigou Early Cretaceous of Fengning, China) Jinzhouornis
(Early Cretaceous) - may be synonym of Confuciusornis "Proornis
" (Early Cretaceous) - tentatively placed here; a nomen nudum
Enantiornithes
"Opposite Birds" due to the arrangement of their scapula
/coracoid bones; an extinct Mesozoic
sub-class. Together with the Ornithurae (which includes modern birds), they form the Ornithothoraces
: birds adapted to flight in the modern way (though the expression of individual traits differs). For example, their shoulder blades are modified to permit raising their wings far above their backs; although as noted above, the shape of the individual shoulder bones differs markedly among ornithothoracine groups, and considering also the different pygostyle
s of Enantiornithes and Ornithurae, it may well be that the Ornithothoraces are not monophyletic.
Basal Ornithurae
Also called "basal Ornithuromorpha". Essentially modern birds, except many still possess a few primitive features such as teeth or wing claws. These have the plowshare
-shaped pygostyle and proper tail fan as seen in most living birds. The taxonomy
of this group is confusing; the name "Ornithurae" was first proposed by Ernst Haeckel
in 1866 and has been revised in meaning several times since. On the other hand, the Ornithuromorpha may be a junior synonym of Ornithothoraces
(or even Pygostylia
).
Hesperornithes
Large, toothed, loon
-like diving birds.
Toothed birds similar to modern gulls.
Unresolved and basal forms
These modern birds are known from remains that cannot be placed in relation to any one modern group and are neither autapomorphic enough to assign them to own orders. Especially the Late Cretaceous
/early Paleogene
taxa are probably basal to several modern orders, while later Paleogene
taxa often represent extinct lineages outside the modern families.
and related ratite
s.
Lithornithiformes
Anseriformes
The group that includes modern duck
s and geese.Anseranatidae
– magpie-geese
Presbyornithidae
Anatidae
– ducks, geese and swans
Galliformes
The group that includes domestic chickens and their relatives.
Charadriiformes
Gull
s, auk
s, shorebirds
Gastornithiformes
The diatrymas, a group of huge flightless Paleogene birds of unclear affinities. Traditionally placed within the Gruiformes, they are usually considered a distinct order nowadays and appear closer to the Anseriformes.
Gruiformes
The group that includes modern rail
s and crane
s. Probably paraphyletic.Rallidae
- Rails
Eogruidae
Ergilornithidae - may belong in Eogruidae
Gruidae - Cranes
Messelornithidae - Messel
-birds
Salmilidae
Ameghinornithidae
Geranoididae
Bathornithidae
Ciconiiformes
The diverse group that includes stork
s, heron
s and New World vulture
s. Paraphyletic as listed here.
Pelecaniformes
The group that includes modern pelican
s and cormorant
s. As presented here paraphyletic; the tropicbird lineage is not part of this group and relationships with Procellariiformes and Sphenisciformes require more research. Also, as the pelicans are at least as close to the Ciconiiformes
as to cormorants, the latter group is being recognized as Phalacrocoraciiformes by some recent authors and the core Pelecaniformes are occasionally merged into the Ciconiiformes.
Procellariiformes
The group that includes modern albatross
es, petrel
s and storm-petrel
s.
Gaviiformes
Columbiformes
Cuculiformes
Cuckoos, turacos and allies.
Falconiformes
Birds of prey. Possibly polyphyletic or paraphyletic.
Caprimulgiformes
Nightjars, potoos and allies. Apparently paraphyletic.
Apodiformes
Swifts and hummingbirds.
Coraciiformes
Rollers and allies. Probably paraphyletic.
Piciformes
Avians incertae sedis
These fossil taxa cannot be assigned to any major group with reasonable certainty. The "proto-birds" above are of some indeterminate basal position in the entire avian (and paravian) radiation, but known from such diagnostic material that their relationships at the family
level are known. In contrast, the taxa here have a hypodigm that is usually just sufficient for giving them a valid scientific name, but not for phylogenetic purposes beyond classing them as pygostylians or more modern birds. Some, however, are known from such fragmentary remains that the possibility that they are non-avian "reptiles" such as dinosaur
s cannot be ruled out at present.
Feathered dinosaurs
The realization that dinosaurs are closely related to birds raised the obvious possibility of feathered dinosaurs. Fossils of Archaeopteryx include well-preserved feathers, but it was not until the early 1990s that clearly non-avialan dinosaur fossils were discovered with preserved feathers...
theropod dinosaurs, and there is no real dividing line between birds and dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s, except of course that some of the former survived the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event
Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event
The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, formerly named and still commonly referred to as the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, occurred approximately 65.5 million years ago at the end of the Maastrichtian age of the Cretaceous period. It was a large-scale mass extinction of animal and plant...
while the latter did not. For the purposes of this article, a 'bird' is considered to be any member of the clade Aves sensu lato. Some dinosaur groups which may or may not be true birds are listed below under 'Proto-birds'.
This page contains a listing of prehistoric bird taxa only known from completely fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
ized specimens. These extinctions took place before the Late Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
and thus took place in the absence of significant human interference. While the earliest hominids had been eating birds and especially their eggs, human population and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
was simply insufficient to seriously affect healthy bird populations until the Upper Paleolithic Revolution. Rather, reasons for the extinctions listed here are stochastic abiotic events such as bolide impacts, climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
due to orbital shifts, mass volcanic eruptions etc. Alternatively, species may have gone extinct due to evolution
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...
ary displacement by successor or competitor taxa - it is notable that an extremely large number of seabirds have gone extinct during the mid-Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
; this seems at least partly due to competition by the contemporary radiation of marine mammal
Marine mammal
Marine mammals, which include seals, whales, dolphins, and walruses, form a diverse group of 128 species that rely on the ocean for their existence. They do not represent a distinct biological grouping, but rather are unified by their reliance on the marine environment for feeding. The level of...
s.
The relationships of these taxa are often hard to determine, as many are known only from very fragmentary remains and due to the complete fossilization precluding analysis of information from DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
, RNA
RNA
Ribonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
or protein sequencing. The taxa listed in this article should be classified with the Wikipedia conservation status category "Fossil".
Before the late 19th century, when mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s were still considered one of the kingdom
Kingdom (biology)
In biology, kingdom is a taxonomic rank, which is either the highest rank or in the more recent three-domain system, the rank below domain. Kingdoms are divided into smaller groups called phyla or divisions in botany...
s of binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
, fossils were often treated according to a parallel taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
. Rather than assigning them to animal or plant genera, they were treated as mineral genera and given binomial names typically using Osteornis ("bone-bird") or Ornitholithus ("bird fossil") as "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...
". The latter name, however, is still in use for an oogenus
Ichnotaxon
An ichnotaxon is defined by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature as "a taxon based on the fossilized work of an organism", that is, the non-human equivalent of an artifact. Ichnotaxa are names used to identify and distinguish morphologically distinctive ichnofossils, more commonly...
of fossil bird eggs. Also, other animals (in particular pterosaur
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
s) were placed in these "genera". In sources pre-dating the Linnean system, the above terms are also seen in the more extensive descriptions used to name taxa back then.
Taxonomic list of fossil prehistoric birds
Higher-level taxa are presented in likely or suspected phylogenetic order. GenusGenus
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...
-level taxa and lower are sorted chronologically, in ascending order (i.e., older taxa first).
The higher-level groups of non-Neornithes are arranged based on the phylogeny proposed by Luis Chiappe, updated and expanded to incorporate recent research. The categories are inclusive in ascending order.
Please be aware that taxonomic assignments, especially in the pygostylian to early neornithine genera, are still very provisional and subject to quite frequent change.
"Proto-birds" (extinct)
- See also Archaeopterygiformes and DeinonychosauriaDeinonychosauriaThe Deinonychosauria were a clade of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. These omnivores and carnivores are known for their switchblade-like second toe claws and for displaying numerous bird-like characteristics. The clade has been divided into two...
, and Origin of birds.
This category contains very early fossils that some consider the earliest evidence of birds, and others which are agreed to be maniraptora
Maniraptora
Maniraptora is a clade of coelurosaurian dinosaurs which includes the birds and the dinosaurs that were more closely related to them than to Ornithomimus velox. It contains the major subgroups Avialae, Deinonychosauria, Oviraptorosauria and Therizinosauria. Ornitholestes and the Alvarezsauroidea...
n theropods of controversial placement in regard to birds. Most scientists consider them closely related to birds, and some find them avian enough to include in the birds outright. In any case, these forms demonstrate that feathered wings and other "avian" features were not limited to true birds, but first evolved in more basal lineages of theropods.
This assemblage is by no means monophyletic: the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
Rahonavis
Rahonavis
Rahonavis is a genus of bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of what is now northwestern Madagascar. It is known from a partial skeleton found in Maevarano Formation rocks at a quarry near Berivotra, Mahajanga Province...
has by now been quite firmly established to represent a vicariant endemic Malagasy
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
line of unenlagiine
Unenlagiinae
Unenlagiinae is a subfamily of Dromaeosauridae. Unenlagiines are one of the most basal lineages of dromaeosaurids. Unenlagiines are known from South America and Madagascar....
Dromaeosauridae
Dromaeosauridae
Dromaeosauridae is a family of bird-like theropod dinosaurs. They were small- to medium-sized feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period. The name Dromaeosauridae means 'running lizards', from Greek dromeus meaning 'runner' and sauros meaning 'lizard'...
. It was about as advanced as Archaeopteryx – though only half its age. The Scansoriopterygidae
Scansoriopterygidae
Scansoriopterygidae is a family of maniraptoran dinosaurs, known from three well-preserved fossils unearthed in the Daohugou fossil beds of Liaoning, China....
, on the other hand, may come as close to an actual "proto-bird" as anything yet known to science.
Protoavis
Protoavis is a problematic taxon of archosaurian known from fragmentary remains from Late Triassic Norian stage deposits near Post, Texas. Much controversy remains over the animal, and there are many different interpretations of what Protoavis actually is...
" (Late Triassic) - a nomen dubium
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
Palaeopteryx
Palaeopteryx is a genus of theropod dinosaur now considered a nomen dubium. It was named and misidentified by J. A. Jensen in 1981, then redescribed by Jensen and K. Padian in 1989. At that time the binomial Palaeopteryx thomsoni was deemed invalid by Jensen...
" (Late Jurassic) - a nomen dubium
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
Oviraptorosauria
Oviraptorosaurs are a group of feathered maniraptoran dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period of what are now Asia and North America. They are distinct for their characteristically short, beaked, parrot - like skulls, with or without bony crests atop the head...
- e.g.
Caudipteryx
Caudipteryx is a genus of peacock-sized theropod dinosaurs that lived in the Aptian age of the early Cretaceous Period . They were feathered and remarkably birdlike in their overall appearance....
(Early Cretaceous)
- e.g.
Beipiaosaurus
Beipiaosaurus is a genus of therizinosauroid theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of China.The exact classification of therizinosaurs had in the past been hotly debated, since their prosauropod-like teeth and body structure indicate that they were generally herbivorous, unlike typical...
(Early Cretaceous)
Alvarezsauridae
Alvarezsauridae is an enigmatic family of small, long-legged running dinosaurs. Although originally thought to represent the earliest known flightless birds, a consensus of recent work suggests that they are primitive members of the Maniraptora. Other work found them to be the sister group to the...
/Parvicursoridae
- e.g.
Shuvuuia
Shuvuuia is a genus of bird-like theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period of Mongolia. It is a member of the family Alvarezsauridae, small coelurosaurian dinosaurs which are characterized by short but powerful forelimbs specialized for digging. The type species is Shuvuuia deserti, or...
(Late Cretaceous)
Dromaeosauridae
Dromaeosauridae is a family of bird-like theropod dinosaurs. They were small- to medium-sized feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period. The name Dromaeosauridae means 'running lizards', from Greek dromeus meaning 'runner' and sauros meaning 'lizard'...
- e.g.
Microraptor
Microraptor is a genus of small, four-winged dromaeosaurid dinosaurs. Numerous well-preserved fossil specimens have been recovered from Liaoning, China...
(Early Cretaceous)
Rahonavis
Rahonavis is a genus of bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of what is now northwestern Madagascar. It is known from a partial skeleton found in Maevarano Formation rocks at a quarry near Berivotra, Mahajanga Province...
(Late Cretaceous)
Archaeopterygidae
The Archaeopterygidae is a group of maniraptoran dinosaurs that lived during the late Jurassic and period.-Taxonomy:The order Archaeopterygiformes was coined by Max Fürbringer in 1888 to contain the single family Archaeopterygidae and genus Archaeopteryx...
– Dromaeosauridae
Dromaeosauridae
Dromaeosauridae is a family of bird-like theropod dinosaurs. They were small- to medium-sized feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period. The name Dromaeosauridae means 'running lizards', from Greek dromeus meaning 'runner' and sauros meaning 'lizard'...
?
Anchiornis
Anchiornis is a genus of small, feathered, deinonychosaurian dinosaur. The genus Anchiornis contains the type species Anchiornis huxleyi, named in honor of Thomas Henry Huxley, an early proponent of biological evolution, and the first to propose a close evolutionary relationship between birds and...
(Middle Jurassic) – tentatively placed here
Archaeopteryx
Archaeopteryx , sometimes referred to by its German name Urvogel , is a genus of theropod dinosaur that is closely related to birds. The name derives from the Ancient Greek meaning "ancient", and , meaning "feather" or "wing"...
(Late Jurassic)
Wellnhoferia
Wellnhoferia is a genus of early prehistoric bird closely related to Archaeopteryx. It lived in what is now Germany, during the Late Jurassic. While Wellnhoferia was similar to Archaeopteryx, it had a shorter tail and its fourth toe was shorter than in Archaeopteryx...
(Late Jurassic) – probably synonym of Archaeopteryx
Xiaotingia
Xiaotingia is a genus of bird-like theropod dinosaur from early Late Jurassic deposits of western Liaoning, China, containing a single species, Xiaotingia zhengi.-Discovery:...
(Late Jurassic)
Basal AvialaeAvialaeAvialae is a clade of dinosaurs containing their only living representatives, birds , and the most immediate extinct relatives of birds.-Competing definitions:...
(extinct)
The most primitive "birds", usually still possessing a long bony tail with generally unfused vertebrae. Not all of these may be on the line of bird ancestors; whether they are not closer to other theropods groups than to the AvialaeAvialae
Avialae is a clade of dinosaurs containing their only living representatives, birds , and the most immediate extinct relatives of birds.-Competing definitions:...
remains to be thoroughly tested (see Xiaotingia
Xiaotingia
Xiaotingia is a genus of bird-like theropod dinosaur from early Late Jurassic deposits of western Liaoning, China, containing a single species, Xiaotingia zhengi.-Discovery:...
).
- Unresolved forms
Dalianraptor
Dalianraptor is a genus of prehistoric bird that lived in China about 120 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous Period. It is very similar to the contemporary avialian Jeholornis, though it has a longer digit I and shorter forelimbs, which suggests it may have been flightless...
(Early Cretaceous)
Jixiangornis
Jixiangornis is the name given to a genus of basal bird from the Early Cretaceous. Like later birds, it had developed a beak, but it had a long tail, unlike modern birds. Since teeth were still present in some more advanced short-tailed birds, Jixiangornis seems to have evolved its beak...
(Early Cretaceous)
Zhongjianornis
Zhongjianornis is a genus of long-beaked, pigeon-sized bird from the early Cretaceous period of China. It is known from one fossil found at Jianchang, Liaoning Province, in rocks of the Jiufotang Formation...
(Early Cretaceous) – basal Confuciusornithidae
Confuciusornithidae
Confuciusornithidae is a family of primitive birds from the early Cretaceous Period of China. It consists of four genera. About half of all the confuciusornithid specimens, including reprersentatives of all species, that have preserved feathers possess a pair of distinctive ribbon-like tail...
?
- ScansoriopterygidaeScansoriopterygidaeScansoriopterygidae is a family of maniraptoran dinosaurs, known from three well-preserved fossils unearthed in the Daohugou fossil beds of Liaoning, China....
Epidexipteryx
Epidexipteryx is a genus of small avialan dinosaur, known from one fossil specimen in the collection of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing. Epidexipteryx represents the earliest known example of ornamental feathers in the fossil record. The type specimen is...
(Late Jurassic?)
Scansoriopteryx
Scansoriopteryx is a genus of avialan dinosaur. Described from only a single juvenile fossil specimen found in Liaoning, China, Scansoriopteryx is a sparrow-sized animal that shows adaptations in the foot indicating an arboreal lifestyle. It possessed an unusual, elongated third finger...
/Epidendrosaurus (Late Jurassic?)
Basal PygostyliaPygostyliaPygostylia is a group of birds which includes Confuciusornis and all of the more derived birds; the Ornithothoraces. Chiappe defined the Pygostylia as "the common ancestor of the Confuciusornithidae and Neornithes plus all its descendants". This is a node-based definition.Chiappe united the...
(extinct)
The earliest birds with a modern pygostylePygostyle
Pygostyle refers to a number of the final few caudal vertebrae fused into a single ossification, supporting the tail feathers and musculature. In modern birds, the rectrices attach to these....
: a reduction and fusion of the tail vertebrae; possibly a paraphyletic group. Two types of pygostyle are known, a rod-shaped one found in Confuciusornithidae
Confuciusornithidae
Confuciusornithidae is a family of primitive birds from the early Cretaceous Period of China. It consists of four genera. About half of all the confuciusornithid specimens, including reprersentatives of all species, that have preserved feathers possess a pair of distinctive ribbon-like tail...
, Enantiornithes
Enantiornithes
Enantiornithes is an extinct group of primitive birds. They were the most abundant and diverse avialans of the Mesozoic. Almost all retained teeth and clawed fingers on each wing, but otherwise looked much like modern birds externally. Over 50 species of Enantiornithines have been named, but some...
and some non-avian theropods such as Nomingia
Nomingia
Nomingia is a genus of oviraptorid theropod dinosaur hailing from the Late Cretaceous Bugin Tsav Beds of Mongolia.-Discovery and naming:...
, and a plowshare
Plowshare
In agriculture, a plowshare is a component of a plow . It is the cutting or leading edge of a moldboard which closely follows the coulter when plowing....
-shaped one, only known in the lineage leading to modern birds. It is not certain that the pygostyles found in birds are indeed synapomorphies.
- Placement unresolved
Longipteryx
Longipteryx is a genus of prehistoric bird which lived during the Early Cretaceous . It contains a single species, Longipteryx chaoyangensis. Its remains have been recovered from the Jiufotang Formation at Chaoyang in Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China...
(Early Cretaceous) - (eu)enantiornithine?
Shanweiniao
Shanweiniao is an extinct genus of long-beaked enantiornithine bird from Early Cretaceous China. One species is known, Shanweiniao cooperorum. There is one known fossil, a slab and counterslab. The fossil is in the collection of the Dalian Natural History Museum, and has accession number DNHM...
(Early Cretaceous) - (eu)enantiornithine?
Abavornis
Abavornis is the name given to a genus of primitive birds from the Late Cretaceous, containing the single species A. bonaparti...
(Late Cretaceous) - (eu)enantiornithine?
Catenoleimus
Catenoleimus is a prehistoric bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. It lived during the mid-late Turonian stage, around 90 million years ago...
(Late Cretaceous) - enantiornithine?
Explorornis
Explorornis is a genus of Mesozoic birds. It lived during the mid-late Turonian stage, around 90 million years ago.Unlinke many contemporary genera, which are only known from a handful of remains that cannot be compared among each other, Explorornis is known from a handful of coracoids which are...
(Late Cretaceous) - (eu)enantiornithine?
Incolornis
Incolornis is an extinct genus of basal birds from the Late Cretaceous . Remains have been found in the Bissekty Formation in Uzbekistan.It is only known from fragmentary coracoids...
(Late Cretaceous) - (eu)enantiornithine?
- Omnivoropterygiformes
- OmnivoropterygidaeOmnivoropterygidaeOmnivoropterygidae is a family of primitive birds known exclusively from the Jiufotang Formation of China. They had short skeletal tails and unusual skulls with teeth in the upper, but not lower, jaws. Their unique dentition has led some scientists to suggest an omnivorous diet for them. The...
- Omnivoropterygidae
Omnivoropteryx
Omnivoropteryx is a genus of primitive flying bird from the early Cretaceous Upper Jiufotang Formation of China...
(Early Cretaceous)
Sapeornis
Sapeornis is a genus of primitive bird which lived during the Early Cretaceous . The genus contains only the species Sapeornis chaoyangensis which is known from fossils found in Jiufotang Formation rocks near Chaoyang, PRC...
(Early Cretaceous)
Shenshiornis
Shenshiornis is a genus of primitive bird which existed in China during the early Cretaceous period. It is known from one partial skeleton recovered from he Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning province, dating to . The type species is Shenshiornis primita...
(Early Cretaceous)
- ConfuciusornithidaeConfuciusornithidaeConfuciusornithidae is a family of primitive birds from the early Cretaceous Period of China. It consists of four genera. About half of all the confuciusornithid specimens, including reprersentatives of all species, that have preserved feathers possess a pair of distinctive ribbon-like tail...
Changchengornis
Changchengornis is an extinct basal bird genus from the Early Cretaceous. Its remains have been found in the People's Republic of China, in Chaomidianzi Formation rocks from around the Barremian-Aptian boundary, deposited 125 million years ago....
(Early Cretaceous)
Confuciusornis
Confuciusornis is a genus of primitive crow-sized birds from the Early Cretaceous Yixian and Jiufotang Formations of China, dating from 125 to 120 million years ago...
(Early Cretaceous)
Eoconfuciusornis
Eoconfuciusornis a genus of extinct bird that lived 131 Ma ago, in the Early Cretaceous of China.The type species of Eoconfuciusornis, Eoconfuciusornis zhengi, was named and described by Zhang Fucheng, Zhou Zhonghe and Michael Benton in 2008. The generic name combines a Greek ἠώς, eos, "dawn",...
(Dabeigou Early Cretaceous of Fengning, China)
Jinzhouornis
Jinzhouornis is a dubious genus of prehistoric birds. Their fossils have found in rocks of the Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province , dating from the Early Cretaceous ....
(Early Cretaceous) - may be synonym of Confuciusornis
Proornis
"Proornis" is an extinct genus of basal bird from the Early Cretaceous of northernmost North Korea. Since it was never formally described in a peer - reviewed journal, the genus is considered a nomen nudum and thus not italicized...
" (Early Cretaceous) - tentatively placed here; a
Nomen nudum
The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
EnantiornithesEnantiornithesEnantiornithes is an extinct group of primitive birds. They were the most abundant and diverse avialans of the Mesozoic. Almost all retained teeth and clawed fingers on each wing, but otherwise looked much like modern birds externally. Over 50 species of Enantiornithines have been named, but some...
(extinct)
"Opposite Birds" due to the arrangement of their scapulaScapula
In anatomy, the scapula , omo, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus with the clavicle ....
/coracoid bones; an extinct Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
sub-class. Together with the Ornithurae (which includes modern birds), they form the Ornithothoraces
Ornithothoraces
Ornithothoraces is a clade of birds which includes all enantiornithines and modern birds .The name Ornithothoraces means "bird thoraxes". This refers to a modern, highly derived, anatomy of the thorax which gave the ornithothoracines superior flight capability compared to more primitive birds...
: birds adapted to flight in the modern way (though the expression of individual traits differs). For example, their shoulder blades are modified to permit raising their wings far above their backs; although as noted above, the shape of the individual shoulder bones differs markedly among ornithothoracine groups, and considering also the different pygostyle
Pygostyle
Pygostyle refers to a number of the final few caudal vertebrae fused into a single ossification, supporting the tail feathers and musculature. In modern birds, the rectrices attach to these....
s of Enantiornithes and Ornithurae, it may well be that the Ornithothoraces are not monophyletic.
- Unresolved and basal forms
- BohaiornisBohaiornisBohaiornis is an extinct genus of enantiornithine bird. Fossils have been found from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of western Liaoning, China. The type species B. guoi was named by Dongyu Hu, Li Li, Lianhaim Hou and Xing Xu in 2011 on the basis of a fully articulated and well-preserved...
(Early Cretaceous) - BoluochiaBoluochiaBoluochia zhengi was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Early Cretaceous in the time span 121.6-110.6 mya and is known from fossils found in the Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. Boluochia was first described by Zhou in 1995...
(Early Cretaceous) - cathayornithid? - "Cathayornis" chabuensis (Early Cretaceous) - cathayornithid?
- ConcornisConcornisConcornis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Early Cretaceous, in the late Barremian stage or about 127-125 million years ago, and its remains are known from the Calizas de La Huérguina Formation at Las Hoyas, Cuenca province, Spain...
(Early Cretaceous)- cathayornithid? enantiornithiform? - CuspirostrisornisCuspirostrisornisCuspirostrisornis is a Genus of enantiornithine bird. Only one species is known, Cuspirostrisornis houi. It is known from one fossil found in the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. The Jiufotang Formation is dated to the Early Cretaceous period, Aptian age, 120.3...
(Early Cretaceous) - cathayornithid? - DapingfangornisDapingfangornisDapingfangornis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Early Cretaceous and is known from fossils—including a complete skeleton—found in the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. Small to medium-sized, it had a sternum with both long and short lateral...
(Early Cretaceous) - EoalulavisEoalulavisEoalulavis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Aptian in the Early Cretaceous, about 115 mya and is known from fossils found at Las Hoyas, Spain...
(Early Cretaceous) - EoenantiornisEoenantiornisEoenantiornis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Early Cretaceous about 125 mya and is known from a single fossil specimen found in the Yixian Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. It is one of the oldest known advanced enantiornithines....
(Early Cretaceous) - HebeiornisHebeiornisHebeiornis was a Genus of enantiornithine bird. One species has been described, H.fengningensis.The fossil was found in the Yixian Formation, which means that Hebeiornis lived in the Barremian to early Aptian, some 125-121 mya...
(Early Cretaceous) - possibly a nomen nudumNomen nudumThe phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
; if valid, includes Vescornis - HuoshanornisHuoshanornisHuoshanornis is an extinct genus of enantiornithine which existed in what is now Jiufotang Formation of Western Liaoning Province, China during the early Cretaceous period. Its fossil remains were found at Chaoyang City. It was first named by Xia Wang, Zihui Zhang, Chunling Gao, Lianhai Hou,...
(Early Cretaceous) - LargirostrornisLargirostrornisLargirostrornis is a Genus of enantiornithine bird. One species is known, Largirostornis sexdentoris. It lived during the Early Cretaceous and is known from fossils found in the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China....
(Early Cretaceous) - cathayornithid? - "LiaoxiornisLiaoxiornisLiaoxiornis is a dubious genus of enantiornithine bird. The only named species is Liaoxiornis delicatus, described by Hou and Chen in 1999. Because the species was named for a hatchling specimen, it cannot be matched with adult specimens, and so it is impossible to determine which, if any, birds...
" (Early Cretaceous) - a nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application... - LongchengornisLongchengornisLongchengornis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Early Cretaceous about 120 mya and is known from fossils found in the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China....
(Early Cretaceous) - cathayornithid? - LongirostravisLongirostravisLongirostravis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Early Cretaceous about 129 mya and is known from fossils found in the Yixian Formation in Yixian County, People's Republic of China....
(Early Cretaceous) - PengornisPengornisPengornis is the largest known enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of northeast China.the name Pengornis derives from "Peng", which refers to a mythological bird from Chinese folklore, and "-ornis", which means bird in Greek....
(Early Cretaceous) - QilianiaQilianiaQiliania is an extinct genus of early bird from the lower Cretaceous . It is a enantiornithine which lived in what is now Gansu Province, north-western China. It is known from two incomplete, semi-articulated and three-dimensionally preserved skeletons, which was found in the Xiagou Formation of...
(Early Cretaceous) - RapaxavisRapaxavisRapaxavis a genus of enantiornithine bird. Fossils were recovered from the Jiufotang Formation at Liaoning, People's Republic of China....
(Early Cretaceous) - Enantiornithes gen. et spp. indet. (Early Cretaceous)
- ElsornisElsornisElsornis is a genus of enantiornithine bird. Only one species is known, Elsornis keni. It lived during the Late Cretaceous. It is known from a partially articulated fossil skeleton found in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia....
(Late Cretaceous) - close to Flexomornis? - EnantiophoenixEnantiophoenixEnantiophoenix is a genus of enantiornithine bird. Fossil remains were recovered from Lebanon....
(Late Cretaceous) - enantiornithiform (avisaurid)? - FlexomornisFlexomornisFlexomornis is a genus of enantiornithine bird. Its fossils were found in Texas rocks belonging to the Woodbine Formation dating to the middle Cenomanian age of the late Cretaceous period...
(Late Cretaceous) - close to Elsornis? - HalimornisHalimornisHalimornis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Late Cretaceous about 80 mya and is known from fossils found in the Mooreville Chalk Formation in Greene County, Alabama...
(Late Cretaceous) - KuszholiaKuszholiaKuszholia is the name given to a genus of primitive bird or bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. It was possibly a coelurosaur close to the ancestry of birds, although most scientists have considered it an avialan...
(Late Cretaceous) - own family? - LectavisLectavisLectavis is a genus of enantiornithine bird. Its fossil bones were recovered from the Late Cretaceous Lecho Formation at estancia El Brete, Argentina...
(Late Cretaceous) - enantiornithiform? - LenesornisLenesornisLenesornis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Late Cretaceous about 78 mya and is known from fossils found in the Bissekty Formation in the Kyzyl Kum, Uzbekistan....
(Late Cretaceous) - GobipteryxGobipteryxGobipteryx is the name given to a genus of enantiornithine bird from the Late Cretaceous Period. Its fossils were found in the Barun Goyot Formation in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia and first described in 1976 from two fragmentary skulls...
(Late Cretaceous) - enantiornithiform? own family? - GurilyniaGurilyniaGurilynia was a Genus of enantiornithine birds. One species is known, G. nessovi. It lived during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, between 70 and 65 mya. Gurilynia is known from fragmentary fossils found at the Gurilyn Tsav locality of the Nemegt Formation in south Gobi,...
(Late Cretaceous) - enantiornithiform? - NeuquenornisNeuquenornisNeuquenornis volans was an enantiornithine bird which lived during the Late Cretaceous in today's Patagonia, Argentina. It is presently the only known species of the genus Neuquenornis. Its fossils were found in the Santonian Bajo de la Carpa Formation, dating from about 85-83 million years ago....
(Late Cretaceous) - cathayornithid? avisaurid? - YungavolucrisYungavolucrisYungavolucris is a monotypic genus of enantiornithine bird. It contains the single species Yungavolucris brevipedaliswhich lived in the Late Cretaceous...
(Late Cretaceous) - enantiornithiform (avisaurid)? - Enantiornithes gen. et spp. indet. (Late Cretaceous)
- Bohaiornis
- AlexornithidaeAlexornithidaeAlexornithidae is an extinct family of enantiornithine birds.*Order Alexornithiformes** Family Alexornithidae***Alexornis ***Kizylkumavis ***Sazavis...
(disputed)- AlexornisAlexornisAlexornis is a genus of enantiornithine bird from the Late Cretaceous of southwestern North America. The type and only species is Alexornis antecedens....
(Late Cretaceous) - KizylkumavisKizylkumavisKizylkumavis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Late Cretaceous about 75 mya and is known from fossils found in the Bissekty Formation of the Kyzyl Kum, Uzbekistan....
(Late Cretaceous) - SazavisSazavisSazavis was an enantiornithine bird from the Late Cretaceous. It might have been related to Alexornis and Kizylkumavis and lived in what is now the Kyzyl Kum of Uzbekistan....
(Late Cretaceous)
- Alexornis
- Alethoalaornithidae (disputed)
- Alethoalaornis (Early Cretaceous)
- "Cathayornithidae" (disputed)
- Sinornis/CathayornisCathayornisCathayornis is a genus of enantiornithine bird from the Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning, People's Republic of China and, in the case of the possible species C...
(Early Cretaceous) - EocathayornisEocathayornisEocathayornis was an enantiornithine bird that was probably more primitive than its relative Sinornis . It lived during the Early Cretaceous in today's People's Republic of China....
(Early Cretaceous)
- Sinornis/Cathayornis
- IberomesornithidaeIberomesornithidaeIberomesornithidae is an extinct family of enantiornithine birds.*Order Iberomesornithiformes**Family Iberomesornithidae***Enantiornithes gen. et sp. indet. CAGS-IG-07-CM-001***Iberomesornis ***Noguerornis...
(disputed)- IberomesornisIberomesornisIberomesornis is a monotypic genus of enantiornithine bird of the Cretaceous of Spain.In 1985 the fossil of Iberomesornis was discovered by Armando Díaz Romeral in the Early Cretaceous Calizas de La Huérguina Formation at Las Hoyas, Cuenca Province, east central Spain, which dates to the late...
(Early Cretaceous) - NoguerornisNoguerornisNoguerornis is a genus of enantiornithine bird related to Iberomesornis. It lived during the Early Cretaceous about 130 mya and is known from fossils found at El Montsec, Spain....
(Early Cretaceous)
- Iberomesornis
Enantiornithiformes
- Enantiornithidae (disputed)
- EnantiornisEnantiornisEnantiornis is a genus of predatory enantiornithine bird. The type and only currently accepted species E. leali is from Late Cretaceous rocks at El Brete, Argentina....
(Late Cretaceous)
- Enantiornis
- AvisauridaeAvisauridaeThe Avisauridae are a family of extinct Enantiornithine birds known from Cretaceous North and South America. They are represented by eight genera.Avisauridae was erected by Brett-Surman and Paul in 1985...
- AvisaurusAvisaurusAvisaurus is a genus of enantiornithine bird from the Late Cretaceous of North America.Two species are known; the type species A. archibaldi and A. gloriae...
(Late Cretaceous)
- Avisaurus
-
- SoroavisaurusSoroavisaurusSoroavisaurus australis was an enantiornithine bird related to Avisaurus. It lived during the Late Cretaceous of Argentina.S. australis is known from fossils collected from the Lecho Formation of Estancia El Brete, in the southern tip of the province of Salta, Argentina...
(Late Cretaceous)
- Soroavisaurus
Basal OrnithuraeOrnithuraeOrnithurae is the name of a natural group which includes all modern birds as well as their extinct relatives with plough-shaped pygostyles, a bone at the end of the tail which allows the tail feathers to fan and retract....
(extinct)
Also called "basal Ornithuromorpha". Essentially modern birds, except many still possess a few primitive features such as teeth or wing claws. These have the plowsharePlowshare
In agriculture, a plowshare is a component of a plow . It is the cutting or leading edge of a moldboard which closely follows the coulter when plowing....
-shaped pygostyle and proper tail fan as seen in most living birds. The taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
of this group is confusing; the name "Ornithurae" was first proposed by Ernst Haeckel
Ernst Haeckel
The "European War" became known as "The Great War", and it was not until 1920, in the book "The First World War 1914-1918" by Charles à Court Repington, that the term "First World War" was used as the official name for the conflict.-Research:...
in 1866 and has been revised in meaning several times since. On the other hand, the Ornithuromorpha may be a junior synonym of Ornithothoraces
Ornithothoraces
Ornithothoraces is a clade of birds which includes all enantiornithines and modern birds .The name Ornithothoraces means "bird thoraxes". This refers to a modern, highly derived, anatomy of the thorax which gave the ornithothoracines superior flight capability compared to more primitive birds...
(or even Pygostylia
Pygostylia
Pygostylia is a group of birds which includes Confuciusornis and all of the more derived birds; the Ornithothoraces. Chiappe defined the Pygostylia as "the common ancestor of the Confuciusornithidae and Neornithes plus all its descendants". This is a node-based definition.Chiappe united the...
).
- Unresolved and basal forms
- ArchaeorhynchusArchaeorhynchusArchaeorhynchus is a prehistoric bird genus from the Early Cretaceous. The single known species, Archaeorhynchus spathula lived about 122 million years ago, in the Aptian...
(Early Cretaceous) – basal? - GansusGansusGansus is a genus of aquatic birds that lived during the Aptian or Albian age of the Early Cretaceous period in what is now Gansu province, western China...
(Early Cretaceous) – basal - JianchangornisJianchangornisJianchangornis a genus of basal ornithurine bird. Fossils were recovered from the Jiufotang Formation at Liaoning, People's Republic of China....
(Late Cretaceous of China) – yanornithiform? - HollandaHollanda (bird)Hollanda is a genus of small, predatory ground bird known from fossils found in the Barun Goyot Formation of Mongolia. Found at Khermeen Tsav, it dates from the late Cretaceous period , about 75 million years ago. Known only from partial hind limbs, Hollanda has long legs with an unusual...
(Late Cretaceous of Mongolia) - LimenavisLimenavisLimenavis is a prehistoric bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. It lived about 70 million years ago, around the Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary...
(Late Cretaceous) – neornithine (paleognath)? - "cf. ParahesperornisParahesperornisParahesperornis is a prehistoric flightless bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. Its range in space and time may have been extensive, but its remains are rather few and far between, at least compared with its contemporary relatives in Hesperornis. Remains are known from central North America,...
" (Late Cretaceous of Mongolia) – hesperornithiform? - "SamrukiaSamrukia"Samrukia" is an as-of-yet unpublished name for a genus of large Cretaceous archosaurs known only from a single lower jaw discovered in Kazakhstan. The holotype and only known specimen was collected from the Santonian-Campanian age Bostobynskaya Formation in Kyzylorda District...
" (Late Cretaceous of Kazakhstan) – basal? - Ornithurae gen. et sp. indet. FRDC-05-CM-021 (Xiagou Early Cretaceous of Changma, China)
- Ornithurae gen. et sp. indet. RBCM.EH2005.003.0001 (Northumberland Late Cretaceous of Hornby Island, Canada)
- Ornithurae gen. et sp. indet. TMP 98.68.145 (Dinosur Park Late Cretaceous of Iddesleigh, Canada) – hesperornithiform?
- CarinataeCarinataeThis article is about bird taxonomy; for the topic in pottery and glassware design, see Carinate.The Carinatae are, in phylogenetic taxonomy, the last common ancestor of the Neornithes and Ichthyornis , and all its descendants...
gen. et sp. indet. NHMM/RD 271 (Maastricht Late Cretaceous, CBR-Romontbos Quarry, Belgium) – ichthyornithine?
- Archaeorhynchus
- Ambiortidae – Apsaraviformes (which would then become Ambiortiformes)?
- AmbiortusAmbiortusAmbiortus is a prehistoric bird genus. The only known species, Ambiortus dementjevi, lived about 130 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous in today's Mongolia....
(Early Cretaceous)
- Ambiortus
Apsaraviformes
Palintropiformes is a junior synonym, Ambiortiformes may be a senior synonym.- ApsaravisApsaravisApsaravis is a Mesozoic bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. The single known species, Apsaravis ukhaana, lived about 78 million years ago, in the Campanian age of the Cretaceous period. Its fossilized remains were found in the Camel's Humps sublocality of the Djadokhta Formation, at Ukhaa...
(Late Cretaceous) - PalintropusPalintropusPalintropus is a prehistoric bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. A single species has been named based on a proximal coracoid from the Lance Formation of Wyoming, dated to the latest Maastrichtian, 65.5 million years ago...
(Late Cretaceous)
Yanornithiformes
- SonglingornithidaeSonglingornithidaeSonglingornithidae is a family of early ornithurine birds from the early Cretaceous Period of China. All known specimens come from the Jiufotang Formation, dating to the early Aptian age, 120 million years ago....
- SonglingornisSonglingornisSonglingornis is a prehistoric bird genus from the Early Cretaceous. Its fossils have been found in the Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning . The age of these rocks is somewhat disputed, but probably around the early Aptian, 125-120 million years ago...
(Early Cretaceous) - YanornisYanornisYanornis is an extinct genus of omnivorous Early Cretaceous birds, thought to be closely related to the common ancestor of all modern birds. One species, Yanornis martini,...
(Early Cretaceous) - YixianornisYixianornisYixianornis is a bird genus from the early Cretaceous period. Its remains have been found in the Jiufotang Formation at Chaoyang dated to the early Aptian age, around 120 million years ago. Only one species, Yixianornis grabaui, is known at present...
(Early Cretaceous)
- Songlingornis
HesperornithesHesperornithesHesperornithes is an extinct and highly specialized clade of Cretaceous toothed birds. Hesperornithine birds, apparently limited to former aquatic habitats in the Northern Hemisphere, include genera such as Hesperornis, Parahesperornis, Baptornis, Enaliornis, and probably Potamornis, all...
(extinct)
Loon
The loons or divers are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia...
-like diving birds.
- Unresolved and basal forms
- AsiahesperornisAsiahesperornisAsiahesperornis is a prehistoric flightless bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. The single known species is Asiahesperornis bazhanovi. It lived in what today is Kazakhstan, at its time the shores of the shallow Turgai Sea....
(Late Cretaceous) - hesperornithid? - JudinornisJudinornisJudinornis is a prehistoric flightless bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. The single known species is Judinornis nogontsavensis...
(Late Cretaceous) - PasquiaornisPasquiaornisPasquiaornis is a prehistoric flightless bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. It lived during the late Cenomanian, some 95-93 million years ago....
(Late Cretaceous) - Hesperornithiformes gen. et sp. indet. TMP 89.81.12 (Late Cretaceous)
- Hesperornithiformes gen. et sp. indet. "Kushmurun, Kazakhstan" (Late Cretaceous)
- Asiahesperornis
- Enaliornithidae
- EnaliornisEnaliornisEnaliornis is a genus of hesperornithine bird which lived in the late Early Cretaceous, making it the oldest known hesperornithine. Fossils have been found near Cambridge, England...
(Early Cretaceous)
- Enaliornis
- Baptornithidae
- BaptornisBaptornisBaptornis is an extinct genus of flightless aquatic bird from the Late Cretaceous, some 87-80 million years ago . The fossils of Baptornis advenus, the type species, were discovered in Kansas, which at its time was mostly covered by the Western Interior Seaway, a shallow shelf sea...
(Late Cretaceous) - includes Parascaniornis
- Baptornis
- Hesperornithidae
- HesperornisHesperornisHesperornis is a genus of flightless aquatic birds that spanned the first half of the Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous period . One of the lesser-known discoveries of the paleontologist O. C. Marsh in the late 19th century Bone Wars, it was an important early find in the history of avian...
(Late Cretaceous) - ParahesperornisParahesperornisParahesperornis is a prehistoric flightless bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. Its range in space and time may have been extensive, but its remains are rather few and far between, at least compared with its contemporary relatives in Hesperornis. Remains are known from central North America,...
(Late Cretaceous) - CanadagaCanadagaCanadaga is a flightless bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. The single known species is Canadaga arctica. It lived in the shallow seas around what today is Bylot Island in Nunavut, Canada...
(Late Cretaceous) - Coniornis (Late Cretaceous)
- Hesperornis
Ichthyornithes (extinct)
- Ichthyornidae
- IchthyornisIchthyornisIchthyornis is a genus of toothed seabirds from the Late Cretaceous of North America. Its fossil remains are known from the chalks of Alberta, Alabama, Kansas, New Mexico, Saskatchewan, and Texas, in strata that were laid down in the Western Interior Seaway during the Turonian-Campanian ages,...
(Late Cretaceous)
- Ichthyornis
Neornithes
The subclass that contains all modern birds.Unresolved and basal forms
These modern birds are known from remains that cannot be placed in relation to any one modern group and are neither autapomorphic enough to assign them to own orders. Especially the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
/early Paleogene
Paleogene
The Paleogene is a geologic period and system that began 65.5 ± 0.3 and ended 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and comprises the first part of the Cenozoic Era...
taxa are probably basal to several modern orders, while later Paleogene
Paleogene
The Paleogene is a geologic period and system that began 65.5 ± 0.3 and ended 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and comprises the first part of the Cenozoic Era...
taxa often represent extinct lineages outside the modern families.
- CeramornisCeramornisCeramornis is a prehistoric bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. It lived shortly before the K-Pg mass extinction in the Maastrictian, some 65.5 million years ago . Its remains were found in the Lull 2 location, a Lance Formation site in Niobrara County, Wyoming . A single species is known,...
(Late Cretaceous) - charadriiform? - "CimolopteryxCimolopteryxCimolopteryx is a prehistoric bird genus from the late Cretaceous Period. Remains attributed to Cimolopteryx have been found in the Frenchman Formation of Saskatchewan, the Lance Formation of Wyoming, and possibly the Hell Creek Formation of Montana. All date to the end of the Maastrichtian age,...
" (Late Cretaceous) - charadriiform? - "Presbyornithidae" gen. et sp. indet. (Barun Goyot Late Cretaceous of Udan Sayr, Mongolia) - anseriform (presbyornithid)?
- TeviornisTeviornisTeviornis is a genus of extinct birds. One species has been described, T. gobiensis. It lived in the Maastrichtian stage at the end of the Late Cretaceous period, some 70 million years ago. It is known from fossils collected from the Nemegt Formation of Gobi, south Mongolia.The fossils include only...
(Late Cretaceous) - presbyornithid? - TorotixTorotixTorotix is a Late Cretaceous genus of aquatic bird. It lived along the shores of the Western Interior Seaway, but it is not clear whether it was a seabird or a freshwater bird, as it is only known from a humerus. Consequently, the genus is monotypic, with the single species Torotix clemensi.It...
(Late Cretaceous) - pelecaniform, charadriiform, procellariiform or phoenicopteriform - Neornithes incerta sedis "Kurochkin 1995" (Nemegt Late Cretaceous of S Mongolia) - phalacrocoracid?
- Neornithes incerta sedis AMNH FR 25272 (Lance Creek Late Cretaceous of Converse County, USA) - phalacrocoracid?
- Neornithes incerta sedis PVPH 237 (Portezuelo Late Cretaceous of Sierra de Portezuelo, Argentina) - galliform?
- Neornithes incerta sedis UCMP 117598 (Hell Creek Late Cretaceous of Bug Creek West, USA)
- Neornithes incerta sedis UCMP 117599 (Hell Creek Late Cretaceous of Bug Creek West, USA) - anseriform?
- LonchodytesLonchodytesLonchodytes is a Late Cretaceous genus of aquatic bird, which lived along the shores of the Western Interior Seaway. It lived probably during the Maastrichtian, 70 million years ago , and was found in Lance Creek Formation rocks in Wyoming though it seems still somewhat unclear if it did fossilize...
(Late Cretaceous/?Early Palaeocene) - gaviiform/pelecaniform? procellariiform? - "Lonchodytes" pterygius (Late Cretaceous/?Early Palaeocene) - charadriiform?
- NovacaesarealaNovacaesarealaNovacaesareala is a genus of prehistoric bird. It is known only from the fossil remains of a single partial wing of the species Novacaesareala hungerfordi...
(Late Cretaceous/Early Palaeocene) - related to Torotix? - "Palaeotringa" vetus (Lance Late Cretaceous of Wyoming - Hornerstown Late Cretaceous/?Early Palaeocene of New Jersey, USA) - gruiform? anseriform (presbyornithid)?
- Volgavis (Early Palaeocene of Volgograd, Russia) - charadriiform? phalacrocoraciform?
- Eopuffinus (Late Paleocene of Zhylga, Kazakhstan) - procellariiform (procellariid)?
- Tshulia (Late Paleocene of Zhylga, Kazakhstan)
- Eupterornis (Paleocene of Cernay, France) - charadriiform (larid?)? gaviiform?
- Gradiornis (Paleocene of Walbeck, Germany) - cariamid?
- "MesselornisMesselornisMesselornis is an extinct relative of the sunbittern.-External links:*...
" russelli (Paleocene of Cernay, France) - messelornithid? - Walbeckornis (Paleocene of Walbeck, Germany) - charadriiform? messelornithid?
- Neornithes incerta sedis (Late Paleocene/Early Eocene of Ouled Abdoun Basin, Morocco) - charadriiform, ciconiiform, gruiform?
- Argillipes (London Clay Early Eocene of England) - galliform?
- Coturnipes (Early Eocene of England, and Virginia, USA?) - galliform, falconiform?
- Fluviatitavis (Early Eocene of Silveirinha, Portugal) - charadriiform?
- Mopsitta (Early Eocene) - threskiornithid (may belong in Rhynchaeites), psittacid?
- NeanisNeanisNeanis is an extinct genus of bird probably related to woodpeckers and toucans. It contains at least one species, N. schucherti; N. kistneri resembles this, but it probably belongs to a distinct genus and may not be closely related. Both are known from the Late Wasatchian stratum of the Early...
(Early Eocene) - coraciiform (primobucconid), piciform? - Onychopteryx (Early Eocene of Argentina) - falconid? A nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
- Paleophasianus (Willwood Early Eocene of Bighorn County, USA) - galliform (tetraonine or cracid) or gruiform (aramid)?
- ParacathartesParacathartesParacathartes is a genus of extinct bird from the Wasachtian horizon of lower Eocene Wyoming, USA. One species, Paracathartes howardae has been described....
(Early Eocene of WC USA) - lithornithiform? - Parvigyps (London Clay Early Eocene of England) - falconiform?
- Pediorallus (London Clay Early Eocene of England) - lithornithiform or galliform?
- Percolinus (London Clay Early Eocene of England) - galliform?
- "PrecursorPrecursor (bird)"Precursor" is a controversial prehistoric bird genus from the Early Eocene. It was established based on fossils found in England, e.g. in the famous London Clay deposits...
" (Early Eocene) - several species? psittaciform (pseudasturid or psittacid) + charadriiform (glareolid)? - Procuculus (Early Eocene of Bognor Regis, England) - cuculiform (parvicuculid), coraciiform (primobucconid), close to Primapus?
- Pulchrapollia (Early Eocene) - psittaciform (pseudasturid or psittacid)?
- Neornithes incerta sedis USNM 496384 (Nanjemoy Early Eocene of Virginia, USA) - parvicuculid? aegithalornithid?
- "Green River Palaeognath" USNM 336103 (Green River Early/middle Eocene of C USA)
- Palaeopsittacus (Early - middle Eocene of NW Europe) - caprimulgiform (podargid?) or quercypsittid?
- Amitabha (Bridger middle Eocene of Forbidden City, USA) - galliform (phasianid) or gruiform (rallid?)?
- Eocathartes (middle Eocene of Germany) - cathartid? Synonym of Strigogyps?
- Eociconia (middle Eocene of China) - ciconiiform (ciconiid)?
- Geiseloceros (middle Eocene of Germany) - coraciiform? Synonym of Strigogyps?
- Hassiavis (middle Eocene of Messel, Germany) - archaeotrogonid, piciform?
- Protocypselomorphus (middle Eocene of Messel, Germany) - caprimulgiform, apodiform or ancestral to both
- Pumiliornis (middle Eocene of Messel, Germany)
- Eobalearica (Ferghana Late? Eocene of Ferghana, Uzbekistan) - gruiform (gruid)?
- LudiortyxLudiortyxLudiortyx is a bird genus from the Late Eocene. Its remains have been found in the Montmartre Formation at the Montmartre . A single species is accepted, Ludiortyx hoffmanni....
(Late Eocene) - rallid, quercymegapodid? Includes "Tringa" hoffmanni, "Palaeortyx" blanchardi, "P." hoffmanni - Minggangia (Late Eocene of China) - rallid, threskiornithid?
- Petropluvialis (Late Eocene of England) - may be same as Palaeopapia; anseriform?
- †"Phasianus" alfhildae (Washakie B Late Eocene of Haystack Butte, USA) - gruiform, ciconiiform, phoenicopteriform?
- Talantatos (Late Eocene of Paris Bain, France) - gruiform (cariamid, idiornithid?)? Might include Elaphrocnemus and Filholornis
- Telecrex (Irdin Manha Late Eocene of Chimney Butte, Mongolia) - meleagrid or gruiform (rallid?)
- Neornithes incerta sedis AMNH FR 2941 (Irdin Manha Late Eocene of Chimney Butte, China) - falconiform (accipitrid)? gruiform (Eogrus)?
- Zheroia (Late Eocene of Kazakhstan) - gruiform? pelagornithid?
- "Falco" falconellus (or falconella; Eocene of Wyoming, USA) - falconiform (falconid)?
- Filholornis (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene of France) - musophagid, cracid, carimid, idiornithid? Possibly belongs in Talantatos
- Geranopsis (Hordwell Late Eocene - Early Oligocene of England) - gruiform (gruid?) or anseriform (anseranatid?)?
- Elaphrocnemus (Quercy Phosphorites Late Eocene ?-middle Oligocene of Quercy, France) - idiornithid? Possibly belongs in Talantatos
- Agnopterus (Late Eocene - Late Oligocene of Europe) - phoenicopteriform or anseriform, includes "Cygnopterus" lambrechti
- Plesiocathartes (Late Eocene -? Early Miocene of SW Europe) - cathartid, leptosomid?
- Botauroides (Eocene of Wyoming, USA)- coliiform?
- Aminornis (Deseado Early Oligocene of Rio Deseado, Argentina) – gruiform (aramid)?
- Ciconiopsis (Deseado Early Oligocene of Patagonia, Argentina) – ciconiiform (ciconiid)?
- Climacarthrus (Deseado Early Oligocene of Argentina) – falconiform (accipitrid)? A nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
- CruschedulaCruschedulaCruschedula is an enigmatic bird genus considered to be nomen dubium which consists of the single species Cruschedula revola....
(Deseado Early Oligocene of Golfo San Jorge, Argentina) Aves incertae sedis; A nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application... - Dolicopterus (Early Oligocene of Ronzon, France) – charadriiform (charadriid)? Not DolichopterusDolichopterusDolichopterus is a genus of the prehistoric sea scorpions, arthropods in the order Eurypterida.-Distribution:It lived in the Late Silurian in shelf or epicontinental seas of the region where Avalonia, Baltica and Laurentia met during the Caledonian orogeny; its fossils have been found in...
as sometimes claimed - Loncornis (Deseado Early Oligocene of Rio Deseado, Argentina) – gruiform (aramid)?
- Loxornis - anatid? (Deseado Early Oligocene of Argentina)
- ManuManu (genus)Manu is a genus of prehistoric seabird. It lived during the Early Oligocene, and is known from a few fossil bones found in New Zealand. Its name derives from the Māori language, and is the common Polynesian term for "bird"....
(Early Oligocene) – pelagornithid? procellariiform (diomedeid)? - Palaeocrex (Early Oligocene of Trigonias Quarry, USA) – gruiform (rallid)?
- Palaeopapia (Hampstead Early Oligocene of Isle of Wight, England) – anseriform?
- Paracygnopterus (Early Oligocene of Belgium and England) – anseriform (anatid)?
- "Pararallus" hassenkampi (Sieblos Dysodil Early Oligocene of Sieblos, Germany)
- Riacama (Deseado Early Oligocene of Argentina) – gruiform?
- Smiliornis (Deseado Early Oligocene of Argentina) – gruiform?
- Teracus (Early Oligocene of France)
- Teleornis (Deseado Early Oligocene of Argentina) – anatid?
- Pseudolarus (Deseado Early Oligocene - Miocene of Argentina) – gruiform?
- Neornithes incerta sedis BMNH PAL 4989 (Hampstead Early Oligocene of Isle of Wight, England) – formerly "Ptenornis" and included in Headonornis; anseriform?
- "Anas" creccoides (Early-mid Oligocene of Belgium) – anseriform?
- "Charadrius" sheppardianus (Florissant middle Oligocene of Florissant, USA) – charadriiform (charadriid?)
- Megagallinula (Indricotherium middle Oligocene of Chelkar-Teniz, Kazakhstan)
- "Palaeorallus" alienus (middle Oligocene of Tatal-Gol, Mongolia) – galliform?
- "Vanellus" selysii (middle Oligocene of Rupelmonde, Belgium) – charadriiform (charadriid)?
- Anserpica (Late Oligocene of France) – gruiform (gruid?) or anseriform (anseranatid?)?
- Gnotornis (Brule Late Oligocene of Shannon County, USA) – gruiform (aramid)?
- Guguschia (Late Oligocene of Pirəkəşkül, Azerbaijan) – anseriform (anserine)? pelagornithid (same as Caspiodontornis)?
- Tiliornis (Late? Oligocene of Argentina) – phoenicopteriform? A nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
- Neornithes incerta sedis QM F40203 (Late Oligocene of Riversleigh, Australia) – gruiform (rallid)?
- Gaviella (Oligocene? of Wyoming, USA) – gaviiform? plotopterid?
- "Anas" skalicensis (Early Miocene of "Skalitz", Czechia) - anseriform?
- Chenornis (Early Miocene) - Anseriformes (Anatidae) or Pelecaniformes (Phalacrocoracidae)?
- "Propelargus" olseni (Hawthorne Early Miocene of Tallahassee, USA) - ciconiiform?
- Neornithes incerta sedis MNHN SA 1259-1263 (Early/Middle Miocene of Sansan, France) - passeriform?
- Anisolornis (Santa Cruz Middle Miocene of Karaihen, Argentina) - gruiform, galliform, tinamiform?
- "Ardea" perplexa (Middle Miocene of Sansan, France) - ardeid? strigiform?
- "Cygnus herrenthalsi" (Middle Miocene of Belgium)
- "Anas" risgoviensis (Late Miocene of Bavaria, Germany) - anseriform?
- "Ardea" aureliensis (Late Miocene of France) - ardeid?
- Eoneornis (Miocene of Argentina)- anatid? A nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
- Eutelornis (Miocene of Argentina) - anatid?
- Protibis (Miocene of Argentina) - ciconiiform (threskiornithid)?
- "Limnatornis" paludicola (Miocene of France) - coliid? phoeniculid?
- "Picus" gaudryi (Miocene of France) - piciform?
- "Ardea" lignitum (Late Pliocene of Germany) - ardeid? strigid (genus Bubo)?
- Bathoceleus (Pliocene of New Providence, Bahamas) - picid?
- "Homalopus" - piciform? Preoccupied by a subgenusSubgenusIn biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
of CryptocephalusCryptocephalusCryptocephalus is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Cryptocephalinae and belonging to the group of case-bearing leaf beetles called the Camptosomata.*Cryptocephalus abdominalis*Cryptocephalus acupunctatus...
leaf beetleLeaf beetleBeetles in the family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles. This is a family of over 35,000 species in more than 2,500 genera, one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families....
s described in 1835. - JuncitarsusJuncitarsusJuncitarsus is an extinct genus of flamingo from the Eocene in the USA....
- phoenicopteriform? - Kashinia - phoenicopteriform?
- "Liptornis" - pelecaniform (pelecanid)? A nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
- Proceriavis - eleutherornithid? pelagornithid?
- Protopelicanus - pelecaniform (pelecanid)? pelagornithid?
- PseudocrypturusPseudocrypturusPseudocrypturus is a genus of extinct paleognathous bird. One species is known, Pseudocrypturus cercanaxius. It is a relative of such modern birds as ostriches. It lived in the early Eocene....
- lithornithiform? - ArchaeotrogonidaeArchaeotrogonidaeArchaeotrogon is a prehistoric bird genus. Its remains have been found in the Quercy Phosphorites of France, a geological formation containing Late Eocene and Early Oligocene deposits. Archaeotrogon lived some 30-35 million years ago. Not all species described herein may be valid.This genus has...
- basal CypselomorphaeCypselomorphaeCypselomorphae is a clade of birds. It includes the living families and orders Caprimulgidae , Nyctibiidae , Apodiformes , as well as the Aegotheliformes whose distinctness was only recently realized...
?- Archaeotrogonidae gen. et sp. indet. (Early Eocene)
- Archaeotrogon (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene)
- Cladornithidae - pelecaniform?
- Cladornis (Deseado Early Oligocene of Patagonia, Argentina)
- Eleutherornithidae
- Eleutherornis
- Eocypselidae - apodiform (hemiprocnid?)? caprimulgiform? basal CypselomorphaeCypselomorphaeCypselomorphae is a clade of birds. It includes the living families and orders Caprimulgidae , Nyctibiidae , Apodiformes , as well as the Aegotheliformes whose distinctness was only recently realized...
?- Eocypselus (Late Paleocene ?- Early Eocene of NC Europe)
- Eremopezidae - pelecaniform? ratite?
- EremopezusEremopezusEremopezus is a prehistoric bird genus. It is known only from the fossil remains of a single species,the huge and presumably flightless Eremopezus eocaenus. This was found in Upper Eocene Jebel Qatrani Formation deposits around the Qasr el-Sagha escarpment, north of the Birket Qarun lake near...
(Late Eocene) - includes Stromeria
- Eremopezus
- Foratidae - cuculiform?
- ForoForo (bird)Foro is a mysterious genus of bird that lived during the early to mid-Eocene around the Ypresian-Lutetian boundary, some 48 million years ago. It is known from fossils found in the Green River Formation of Wyoming. Only a single species, Foro panarium, is known.Its relationships are unknown. It is...
(Early Eocene)
- Foro
- Fluvioviridavidae
- FluvioviridavisFluvioviridavisFluvioviridavis is an extinct genus of primitive bird from Early Eocene of Wyoming. There are only one species recorded, F. platyrhamphus.-References:...
(Green River Early Eocene of N America) - EurofluvioviridavisEurofluvioviridavisEurofluvioviridavis is an extinct genus of primitive bird from Middle Eocene of Messel, Germany.-References:* Mayr, G. 2005. '. Can. J. Earth Sci. 42 : 2021–2037....
(middle Eocene of Messel, Germany)
- Fluvioviridavis
- Gracilitarsidae - close to Sylphornithidae?
- Eutreptodactylus (Late Paleocene of Brazil) - a nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
- Gracilitarsus (middle Eocene of Messel, Germany)
- Eutreptodactylus (Late Paleocene of Brazil) - a nomen dubium
- Halcyornithidae - psittaciform (= Pseudasturidae?), coraciiform?
- Cyrilavis (Green River Early Eocene of C USA) - includes "Primobucco" olsoni - psittaciform (halcyornithid or psittacid)?
- Halcyornis (London Clay Early Eocene of England)
- Laornithidae - charadriiform? gruiform? pelagornithid?
- LaornisLaornisLaornis is a genus of a prehistoric neornithine birds, known only from Specimen YPM 820, a single tibiotarsus leg bone discovered in the late 19th century. Consequently the genus is monotypic, containing only the species Laornis edvardsianus. Regarding its scientific name, Laornis means "stone...
(Late Cretaceous?)
- Laornis
- Messelasturidae - accipitrid? basal to Strigiformes? psittaciform?
- Tynskya (Early Eocene of N America and England)
- Messelastur (middle Eocene of Messel, Germany)
- Palaeospizidae - passeriform? coraciiform? coliiform?
- Palaeospiza (Late Eocene of Florissant Fossil Beds, USA)
- Parvicuculidae - cypselomorph, cuculiform, coraciiform (primobucconid)?
- Parvicuculus (Early Eocene of NW Europe)
- Remiornithidae (Paleocene of France) - palaeognath?
- Remiornis
- Sylphornithidae - cuculiform? coraciiform? close to Gracilitarsidae?
- Sylphornis (middle Eocene of France)
- Oligosylphe (Borgloon Early Oligocene of Hoogbutsel, Belgium)
- Tytthostonygidae - procellariiform, pelecaniform?
- TytthostonyxTytthostonyxTytthostonyx is a genus of prehistoric seabird. Found in the much-debated Hornerstown Formation which straddles the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary 65 million years ago, this animal was apparently closely related to the ancestor of some modern birds, such as Procellariiformes and/or "Pelecaniformes"...
(Late Cretaceous/Early Palaeocene)
- Tytthostonyx
- Zygodactylidae - near passerineNear passerineNear passerine or higher land-bird assemblage are terms often given to arboreal birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines due to ecological similarities; the group corresponds to some extent with the Anomalogonatae of Garrod All near passerines are land birds...
, includes Primoscenidae- Zygodactylus (Early Oligocene - Middle? Miocene of C Europe)
- Primoscens
- Primozygodactylus
- "Graculavidae" - a paraphyletic form taxonForm taxonForm classification is the classification of organisms based on their morphology, which does not necessarily reflect their biological relationships...
, the "transitional shorebirds"- GraculavusGraculavusGraculavus is a prehistoric bird genus that was described by O. C. Marsh. Its remains were found in the Late Cretaceous Austin Chalk of Texas and Lance Formation , and the controversial Hornerstown Formation which straddles the Cretaceous–Paleocene boundary, possibly dating to the Danian stage...
(Late Cretaceous -? Early Palaeocene) - charadriiform? - PalaeotringaPalaeotringaPalaeotringa is a prehistoric bird genus that was discovered by O. C. Marsh during the bone wars. Its remains were found in the controversial Hornerstown Formation of New Jersey which straddles the Cretaceous-Paleocene boundary some 66 million years ago...
(Late Cretaceous/Early Palaeocene) - charadriiform? - TelmatornisTelmatornisTelmatornis is a prehistoric bird genus of unclear affiliations. It apparently lived in the Late Cretaceous; its remains were found in the early Maastrichtian Navesink Formation of New Jersey. A single species is included today, Telmatornis priscus...
(Late Cretaceous?) - charadriiform? gruiform? podicipediform? - ZhylgaiaZhylgaiaZhylgaia is a genus of birds known only from fossils. Its remains have been recovered from a Late Cretaceous or Paleogene deposit in Central Asia....
(Early Paleocene) - presbyornithid? - ScaniornisScaniornisScaniornis is a prehistoric bird genus. The only species, Scaniornis lundgreni, lived in the MP 1-5 ....
(Early/Middle Paleocene) - phoenicopteriform? - Dakotornis (Paleocene of North Dakota, USA)
- Placement unresolved
- "Graculavidae" gen. et sp. indet. (Gloucester County, USA)
- Graculavus
Struthioniformes
OstrichOstrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
and related ratite
Ratite
A ratite is any of a diverse group of large, flightless birds of Gondwanan origin, most of them now extinct. Unlike other flightless birds, the ratites have no keel on their sternum—hence the name from the Latin ratis...
s.
- Placement unresolved
- DiogenornisDiogenornisDiogenornis is an extinct genus of ratite which lived during the Paleocene. It was described in 1983 by Brazilian scientist Herculano Marcos Ferraz de Alvarenga. The type species is D. fragilis.-References:...
(Late Paleocene) - rheid? - OpisthodactylusOpisthodactylusOpisthodactylus is an extinct genus of rhea from the Miocene....
(Miocene) - rheid?
- Diogenornis
- CasuariidaeCasuariidaeThe bird family Casuariidae has four surviving members: the three species of cassowary, and the only remaining species of Emu. The emus were formerly classified in their own family, Dromaiidae, but are regarded as sufficiently closely related to the cassowaries to be part of the same family.All...
- Emus and cassowaries- EmuariusEmuariusEmuarius is an extinct genus of flightless bird from Australia that lived during the early Miocene and late Oligocene. It is one of two known genera of emu. There are two known species in the genus, Emuarius gidju and Emuarius guljaruba. The birds in this genus are known as emuwaries...
(Late Oligocene - Late Miocene) - formerly Dromaius - Extant genera present in the fossil record
- DromaiusDromaiusDromaius is a genus of ratite present in Australia. There is one extant species, Dromaius novaehollandiae commonly known as the Emu.In his original 1816 description of the emu, Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot used two generic names; first Dromiceius, then Dromaius a few pages later...
(Middle Miocene - Recent) - Casuarius
- Dromaius
- Emuarius
- Rheidae - Rheas
- HeterorheaHeterorheaHeterorhea is an extinct genus of ratite in the rhea family....
(Pliocene) - HinasuriHinasuriHinasuri is an extinct genus of rhea from the Pliocene. Its fossils have been found in Argentina....
- Heterorhea
- Aepyornithidae - Elephant Birds
- MullerornisMullerornisMullerornis is the smaller of the two genera of extinct elephant birds of Madagascar . Species include Mullerornis agilis Milne-Edwards and A. Grandidier, 1894, and M. grandis Lamberton, 1934...
- Mullerornis
- Struthionidae - Ostriches
- PalaeotisPalaeotisPalaeotis is a genus of paleognath bird from the middle Eocene epoch of central Europe. One species is known, Paleotis weigelti. The holotype specimen is a fossil tarsometatarsus and phalanx. Lambrect described it as an extinct bustard , and gave it its consequent name . After a suggestion by...
(middle Eocene) - includes Palaeogrus geiseltalensis - Extant genera present in the fossil record
- StruthioStruthioStruthio is a genus of bird in the order Struthioniformes.-Species:There are ten known species from this genus, of which eight are extinct. There are five more possible species of which trace fossils have been found...
(Early Miocene - Recent)
- Struthio
- Palaeotis
LithornithiformesLithornithiformesLithornithiformes is an extinct order of early paleognath birds. Lithornithiform birds are known from fossils dating to the Upper Paleocene through the Middle Eocene of North America and Europe. All are extinct today....
(extinct)
- LithornithidaeLithornithidaeLithornithidae are a family of palaeognathous birds from the early Tertiary of the northern hemisphere.-Species:The family was erected by Peter Houde in 1988. It includes the genera Lithornis, Paracathartes, and Pseudocrypturus...
- lithornithids- Promusophaga (Early Eocene)
- LithornisLithornisLithornis is a genus of extinct paleognathous birds. Lithornis were able to fly well, but are closely related to today's tinamous and ratites ....
(Paleocene - Early Eocene)
Tinamiformes
- Tinamidae - Tinamous
- QuerandiornisQuerandiornisQuerandiornis was a prehistoric bird from the Pleistocene epoch. It lived about 6 million years ago....
(Ensenada Early/Middle Pleistocene of Argentina) - Placement unresolved
- Tinamidae gen. et sp. indet. MACN-SC Fleagle Collection (Early - Middle Miocene of S Argentina) - at least 2 species
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- EudromiaEudromiaEudromia is a genus of birds in the tinamou family. This genus comprises two crested members of this South American family.-Etymology:...
sp. (Late Miocene of La Pampa Province, Argentina) - Eudromia olsoni (Late Pliocene of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina)
- Nothura parvula (Late Pliocene of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina) - formerly Cayeornis
- Eudromia intermedia (Pliocene of Argentina) - formerly Tinamisornis
- Nothura paludosa (Pleistocene of Argentina)
- Eudromia
- Querandiornis
AnseriformesAnseriformesThe order Anseriformes contains about 150 living species of birds in three extant families: the Anhimidae , Anseranatidae , and the Anatidae, which includes over 140 species of waterfowl, among them the ducks, geese, and swans.All species in the order are highly adapted for an aquatic existence at...
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s and geese.
- Basal and unresolved forms
- VegavisVegavisVegavis is a genus of extinct bird that lived during the Late Cretaceous of Antarctica, some 65 mya. It belonged to the clade Anseriformes...
(Late Cretaceous) – closer to Presbyornithidae and Anatidae than to Anseranatidae - AnatalavisAnatalavisAnatalavis is genus of prehistoric birds related to ducks and geese, perhaps in particular the Magpie-goose. The species Anatalavis rex - formerly placed in Telmatornis - is known from the Hornerstown Formation of New Jersey...
(Late Cretaceous/Early Paleocene – Early Eocene) – anseranatid or basal. Includes "Telmatornis" rex. - Romainvillia (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene) – anseranatide or anatide
- Proherodius (Early Eocene) – presbyornithid?
- Paranyroca (Early Miocene) – anatide or own family?
- Vegavis
- Anhimidae – screamers
- Chaunoides
- DromornithidaeDromornithidaeDromornithidae — the dromornithids — were a family of large, flightless Australian birds of the Oligocene through Pleistocene epochs. All are now extinct. They were long classified in the order Struthioniformes, but are now usually classified as a family of Anseriformes1...
– the Australian mihirungs or "demon ducks". The youngest genus (GenyornisGenyornisGenyornis was a monotypic genus of large, flightless bird that lived in Australia until 50±5 thousand years ago. Many species became extinct in Australia around that time, coinciding with the arrival of humans....
) was encountered by humans.BarawertornisBarawertornis tedfordi was a dromornithid , a huge flightless anseriform bird hailing from Late Oligocene to Early Miocene. The only species in the genus Barawertornis, its fossil remains are found in strata of the Riversleigh deposits located at two sites in Northwestern Queensland, Australia...
(Late Oligocene – Early Miocene) - BullockornisBullockornisBullockornis, nicknamed the Demon Duck of Doom, is an extinct flightless bird that appeared to have lived in the Middle Miocene, approximately 15 million years ago, in what is now Australia....
(Middle Miocene) - IlbandornisIlbandornisThe Ilbandornis was an ostrich-sized animal, with more slender legs than other Dromornithids. The large bill of other species like Bullockornis and Dromornis indicates a carnivorous creature, while the gizzard and amino acid analysis of the eggs of Genyornis indicates Ilbandornis was herbivorous....
(Late Miocene) - DromornisDromornisDromornis is a genus of prehistoric birds. They stood 3 meters tall and weighed half a ton. Dromornis lived in Australia from the late Miocene to the early Pliocene, meaning that early humans never encountered this genus....
(Late Miocene – Pliocene)
Anseranatidae
Anseranatidae, the magpie-geese, is a biological family of waterbirds. It is a unique member of the order Anseriformes. The only living species, the Magpie Goose, is a resident breeder in northern Australia and in southern New Guinea....
– magpie-geese
- Anseranatidae gen. et sp. nov (Late Oligocene)
Presbyornithidae
Presbyornithidae were a family of waterbirds with an apparently global distribution that lived until the Earliest Oligocene, but are now extinct...
- PresbyornisPresbyornisPresbyornis is an extinct genus of anseriform bird. It contains two unequivocally accepted species; the well-known P. pervetus and the much lesser-known P. isoni. P. pervetus was approximately the size and shape of a goose, but with longer legs; P. isoni, known from a few bones, was much larger,...
(Paleocene – Early Oligocene) - Headonornis – only BMNH PAL 30325 belongs to this bird, may belong to Presbyornis.
- Telmabates
Anatidae
Anatidae is the biological family of birds that includes ducks, geese and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica and on most of the world's islands and island groups...
– ducks, geese and swans
- EonessaEonessaEonessa is an enigmatic genus of bird possibly belonging to bird order Gruiformes and which consists of the single species Eonessa anaticula.It was first described by Alexander Wetmore in the Journal of Paleontology in May 1938...
(Eocene) - Cygnavus (Early Oligocene – Early Miocene)
- Cygnopterus (middle Oligocene – Early Miocene) – sometimes included in Cygnavus
- Mionetta (Late Oligocene – Early Miocene) – includes "Anas" blanchardi, "A." consobrina, "A." natator
- Australotadorna (Late Oligocene – Early Miocene)
- Pinpanetta (Late Oligocene – Early Miocene)
- Dunstanetta (Early/Middle Miocene)
- Manuherikia (Early/Middle Miocene)
- Matanas (Early/Middle Miocene)
- Miotadorna (Early/Middle Miocene)
- Megalodytes (Middle Miocene)
- Sinanas (Middle Miocene)
- Anserobranta (Late Miocene) – includes "Anas" robusta, validity doubtful
- Dendrochen (Late Miocene) – includes "Anas" integra
- Presbychen (Late Miocene)
- Afrocygnus (Late Miocene – Early Pliocene)
- Balcanas (Early Pliocene) – may belong in Tadorna
- Wasonaka (Middle Pliocene)
- Paracygnus (Late Pliocene)
- Anabernicula (Late Pliocene? – Late Pleistocene)
- Eremochen (Pliocene)
- Tirarinetta (Pliocene)
- Brantadorna (Middle Pleistocene)
- Nannonetta (Late Pleistocene)
- Aldabranas (Late Pleistocene)
- Placement unresolved
- "AnasAnasAnas is a genus of dabbling ducks. It includes mallards, wigeons, teals, pintails and shovelers in a number of subgenera. Some authorities prefer to elevate the subgenera to genus rank...
" luederitzensis (Early Miocene) - "Oxura" doksana (Early Miocene)
- Anatidae gen. et sp. indet. MNZ S42797 (Early/Middle Miocene)
- "AythyaAythyaAythya is a genus of diving ducks. It has twelve described species.Aythya shihuibas was described from the Late Miocene of China. An undescribed prehistoric species is known only from Early Pleistocene fossil remains found at Dursunlu, Turkey; it might however be referrable to a paleosubspecies of...
" chauvirae (Middle Miocene) – 2 species - "cf. Megalodytes" (Middle Miocene)
- Anatidae gen. et spp. indet. (Middle Miocene)
- "AnasAnasAnas is a genus of dabbling ducks. It includes mallards, wigeons, teals, pintails and shovelers in a number of subgenera. Some authorities prefer to elevate the subgenera to genus rank...
" meyerii (Middle Miocene) - "AnasAnasAnas is a genus of dabbling ducks. It includes mallards, wigeons, teals, pintails and shovelers in a number of subgenera. Some authorities prefer to elevate the subgenera to genus rank...
" velox (Middle - Late? Miocene) – may include "A." meyerii - "AnasAnasAnas is a genus of dabbling ducks. It includes mallards, wigeons, teals, pintails and shovelers in a number of subgenera. Some authorities prefer to elevate the subgenera to genus rank...
" albae (Late Miocene) – formerly in Mergus - "AnasAnasAnas is a genus of dabbling ducks. It includes mallards, wigeons, teals, pintails and shovelers in a number of subgenera. Some authorities prefer to elevate the subgenera to genus rank...
" isarensis (Late Miocene) - "Anser" scaldii (Late Miocene)
- Anatidae gen. et spp. indet. (Late Miocene)
- "AnasAnasAnas is a genus of dabbling ducks. It includes mallards, wigeons, teals, pintails and shovelers in a number of subgenera. Some authorities prefer to elevate the subgenera to genus rank...
" eppelsheimensis (Early Pliocene) - "Chenopis" nanus (Pleistocene) – at least 2 taxa, may be living species
- "Anas
- Extant and recently extinct genera present in the fossil record
- Somateria (middle Oligocene? – Recent)
- BucephalaGoldeneye (duck)Goldeneye are small tree-hole nesting northern hemisphere seaducks belonging to the genus Bucephala. Their plumage is black and white, and they eat fish, crustaceans and other marine life....
(Middle Miocene – Recent) - Clangula (Middle Miocene – Recent)
- Cygnus (Late Miocene – Recent)
- Histrionicus (Middle Miocene – Recent) – includes Ocyplonessa
- MergusMergusMergus is the genus of the typical mergansers, fish-eating ducks in the seaduck subfamily . The Hooded Merganser, often termed Mergus cucullatus, is not of this genus but closely related...
(Middle Miocene – Recent) - AnasAnasAnas is a genus of dabbling ducks. It includes mallards, wigeons, teals, pintails and shovelers in a number of subgenera. Some authorities prefer to elevate the subgenera to genus rank...
(Late Miocene – Recent) - Anser (Late Miocene – Recent) – includes Heterochen
- AythyaAythyaAythya is a genus of diving ducks. It has twelve described species.Aythya shihuibas was described from the Late Miocene of China. An undescribed prehistoric species is known only from Early Pleistocene fossil remains found at Dursunlu, Turkey; it might however be referrable to a paleosubspecies of...
(Late Miocene – Recent) - BrantaBrantaThe black geese of the genus Branta are waterfowl belonging to the true geese and swans subfamily Anserinae. They occur in the northern coastal regions of the Palearctic and all over North America, migrating to more southernly coasts in winter, and as resident birds in the Hawaiian Islands...
(Late Miocene – Recent) - Oxyura (Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene – Recent)
- Chendytes (Early Pleistocene – Holocene)
- Lophodytes (Late Pleistocene – Recent)
- Neochen (Late Pleistocene – Recent)
GalliformesGalliformesGalliformes are an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding domestic or game bird, containing turkey, grouse, chicken, New and Old World Quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, and the Cracidae. Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds or galliforms...
The group that includes domestic chickens and their relatives.
- Placement unresolved
- Austinornis (Late Cretaceous) - tentatively placed here; formerly Graculavus/Ichthyornis/Pedioecetes lentus
- Procrax (middle Eocene? - Early Oligocene) - cracid? gallinuloidid?
- PalaeortyxPalaeortyxPalaeortyx is an extinct genus of galliform bird. It lived from the middle Eocene to the early Pliocene, and may be a phasianid or odontophorid. It is known from a complete skeleton, found in Germany....
(middle Eocene -? Early Pliocene) - phasianid or odontophorid - Palaeonossax (Late Oligocene) - cracid?
- Taoperdix (Late Oligocene) - gallinuloidid? Includes "Tetrao" pessieti
- Archaealectrornis (Oligocene) - phasianid?
- Galliformes gen. et sp. indet. MCZ 342506 (Oligocene) - formerly in Gallinuloides; phasianid?
- Archaeophasianus (Oligocene? - Late Miocene) - tetraonid or phasianid
- Palaealectoris (Early Miocene) - tetraonid?
- Linquornis (middle Miocene)
- Palaeoalectoris (middle Miocene)
- Shandongornis (middle Miocene)
- "Cyrtonyx" tedfordi (Late Miocene)
- Gallinuloididae
- GallinuloidesGallinuloidesGallinuloides is a prehistoric genus of primitive galliform bird. It lived about 48 million years ago in North America. The type specimen was found in a Green River Formation deposit in Wyoming....
(Early/middle Eocene) - Paraortygoides (London Clay Early Eocene of Walton-on-the-Naze, England - middle Eocene of Messel, Germany)
- Gallinuloides
- Paraortygidae
- Pirortyx
- Paraortyx
- Quercymegapodiidae
- Quercymegapodius (middle Eocene - Early Oligocene)
- Taubacrex (Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of Brazil)
- Ameripodius (Late Oligocene - Early Miocene of Brazil and France)
- Megapodidae - Megapodes
- Ngawupodius
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- Leipoa gallinacea - formerly Chosornis, Palaeopelargus, Progura
- CracidaeCracidaeThe chachalacas, guans and curassows are birds in the family Cracidae.These are species of tropical and subtropical Central and South America. One species, the Plain Chachalaca, just reaches southernmost Texas in the USA...
- Guans and Curassows- Boreortalis (Early Miocene) - may be same as Ortalis
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Ortalis (Early Miocene - Recent)
- Odontophoridae - New World Quails
- Nanortyx (Cypress Hills Early Oligocene of North Calf Creek, Canada)
- Miortyx (Rosebud Early Miocene of Flint Hill, USA)
- Neortyx (Early Pleistocene of Reddick, USA)
- Placement unresolved
- Odontophoridae gen. et sp. indet. KUVP 9393 (White River Early/middle Oligocene of Logan County, USA)
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- Cyrtonyx cooki (Late Miocene? of Upper Sheep Creek, USA)
- CallipeplaCallipeplaCallipepla is a genus of birds in the New World quail family, Odontophoridae.-Species:* Callipepla californica – California Quail* Callipepla douglasii – Elegant Quail...
? shotwelli (Middle Pliocene of McKay Reservoir, USA) - formerly Lophortyx - Colinus hibbardi (Rexroad Late Pliocene of Rexroad, USA)
- ColinusColinusColinus is a genus of birds in the New World quail family, Odontophoridae. Members of the genus are commonly known as bobwhites.-Species:* Colinus cristatus – Crested Bobwhite...
sp. (Late Pliocene of Benson, USA) - Colinus suilium (Early Pleistocene of SE USA)
- DendrortyxDendrortyxDendrortyx is a genus of bird in the Odontophoridae family. It contains the following species:* Bearded Wood Partridge * Buffy-crowned Wood Partridge...
? sp. (Late Pleistocene of San Josecito Cavern, Mexico)
- PhasianidaePhasianidaeThe Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and partridges, including the junglefowl , Old World Quail, francolins, monals and peafowl. The family is a large one, and is occasionally broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae, and the Perdicinae...
- Pheasants, quails, partridges, grouseGrouseGrouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes. They are sometimes considered a family Tetraonidae, though the American Ornithologists' Union and many others include grouse as a subfamily Tetraoninae in the family Phasianidae...
and turkeys- Schaubortyx (middle Eocene - Early Oligocene)
- RhegminornisRhegminornisRhegminornis is a genus of turkey from the early Miocene. It was described by Alexander Wetmore in 1943....
(Early Miocene of Bell, USA) - Tologuica (Middle Miocene of Sharga, Mongolia)
- ProagriocharisProagriocharisProagriocharis is a genus of extinct turkey from the upper Pliocene, containing a single species, Proagriocharis kimballensis, which was smaller than most other turkeys....
(Kimball Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lime Creek, USA) - Megalocoturnix (Early Pliocene of Layna, Spain)
- Chauvireria (Late Pliocene of Varshets, Bulgaria)
- Palaeocryptonyx (Late Pliocene of SW Europe) - including "Francolinus" minor, "F." subfrancolinus
- Miogallus
- Miophasianus
- Palaeoperdix
- Pliogallus
- Plioperdix
- Placement unresolved
- "Tympanchus" stirtoni (Early Miocene of South Dakota)
- Tetraoninae gen. et sp. indet. (Sajóvölgyi Middle Miocene of Mátraszõlõs, Hungary)
- Meleagridae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Miocene of Westmoreland County, USA)
- "Tympanuchus" lulli (Pleistocene? of New Jersey)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- CoturnixCoturnixCoturnix is a genus of Old World quail in Phasianidae.- Species list :*Blue Quail, Coturnix adansonii*King Quail, Coturnix chinensis*Rain Quail, Coturnix coromandelica*Harlequin Quail, Coturnix delegorguei*Common Quail, Coturnix coturnix...
(Late Oligocene - Recent) - BambusicolaBambusicolaBambusicola is a genus of bird in the Phasianidae family.It contains the following species:* Mountain Bamboo Partridge, Bambusicola fytchii* Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Bambusicola thoracicus...
(Late Miocene - Recent) - PhasianusPhasianusThe "typical" pheasant genus Phasianus in the family Phasianidae consists of at least one species. Both Phasianus and "pheasant" comes from the Greek word phāsiānos, meaning " of the Phasis". Phasis is the ancient name of the main river of western Georgia, currently called the Rioni.The Common...
(Late Miocene) - Gallus (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene - Recent)
- LagopusLagopusLagopus is a small genus of birds in the grouse subfamily. It contains three existing species.-Species:* Willow Ptarmigan or Willow Grouse, Lagopus lagopus* Rock Ptarmigan , Lagopus muta...
(Early? Pliocene - Recent) - Meleagris (Early Pliocene - Recent)
- PavoPavo (genus)The peafowl genus Pavo Linnaeus, 1758 consist of two species of spectacularly plumaged pheasants, the largest of the Phasianidae. Their highly elongated and elaborated trains are decorated with metallic ocelli; commonly called "tails", they are actually the uppertail coverts while the peacock's...
(Early Pliocene - Recent) - TetraoTetraoTetrao is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily. It has four species.-Species:* Eurasian Black Grouse, Tetrao tetrix* Caucasian Black Grouse, Tetrao mlokosiewiczi* Western Capercaillie, Tetrao urogallus...
(Early Pliocene - Recent) - Francolinus (Late Pliocene - Recent)
- PerdixPerdixPerdix is a genus of partridges with representatives in most of temperate Europe and Asia. One member of the genus, the Grey Partridge, has been introduced to the United States and Canada....
(Early Pleistocene - Recent) - Bonasa (Early/Middle Pleistocene - Recent)
- Dendragapus (Late Pleistocene - Recent)
- AlectorisAlectorisAlectoris, is a genus of partridges with representatives in southern Europe, north Africa and Arabia, and across Asia in Pakistan to Tibet and western China. Members of the genus, notably the Chukar and Red-legged Partridge, have been introduced to the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Hawaii...
- Coturnix
CharadriiformesCharadriiformesCharadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
GullGull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s, auk
Auk
An auk is a bird of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. Auks are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colours, their upright posture and some of their habits...
s, shorebirds
- Basal and unresolved taxa
- Charadriiformes gen. et sp. indet. (Late Cretaceous) - burhinid? basal?
- "Morsoravis" (Late Paleocene/Early Eocene) - a nomen nudumNomen nudumThe phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
? - Jiliniornis (middle Eocene) - charadriid?
- Boutersema (Early Oligocene) - glareolid?
- Turnipax (Early Oligocene) - turnicid?
- Elorius (Early Miocene)
- "Larus desnoyersii (Early Miocene of SE France) - larid? stercorarid?
- "Larus pristinus (John Day Early Miocene of Willow Creek, USA) - larid?
- Charadriiformes gen. et spp. indet. (Early/Middle Miocene) - several species, 1 probably larid
- Charadriiformes gen. et sp. indet. (Middle Miocene)
- "TotanusTotanusTotanus Bechstein, 1803 is a generic name previously applied to various waders or shorebirds, now subsumed within Tringa. Created by Bechstein, it derives from the species name for the Common Redshank, described by Linnaeus in 1758 as Scolopax totanus, from “totano”, the Italian name for the...
" teruelensis (Late Miocene of Los Mansuetos, Spain) - scolopacid? larid? - "ActitisActitisActitis is a small genus of waders, comprising just two very similar bird species:* Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos, of Eurasia* Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia of North America...
" balcanica (Late Pliocene of Varshets, Bulgaria) - scolopacid? charadriid?
- ScolopacidaeScolopacidaeThe sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders or shorebirds. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil...
- Waders and snipes- Paractitis (Early Oligocene)
- Mirolia (Middle Miocene)
- Placement unresolved
- Scolopacidae gen. et sp. indet. (Middle - Late Miocene)
- Scolopacidae gen. et sp. indet. (Early Pliocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Limosa (Late Eocene? - Recent)
- TringaTringaTringa is a genus of waders, containing the shanks and tattlers. They are mainly freshwater birds, often with brightly coloured legs as reflected in the English names of six species, as well as the specific names of two of these and the Green Sandpiper. They are typically associated with northern...
(Late Eocene/Early Oligocene? - Recent) - includes Totanus - GallinagoGallinagoGallinago is a genus of birds in the wader family Scolopacidae, containing 16 species. This genus contains the majority of the world's snipe species, the other three extant genera being Coenocorypha, with two species, and Lymnocryptes, the Jack Snipe. Morphologically, they are all similar, with a...
(Late Miocene/Early Pliocene - Recent) - Scolopax (Early/Middle Pliocene? - Recent)
- Phalaropus (Middle Pliocene - Recent)
- ActitisActitisActitis is a small genus of waders, comprising just two very similar bird species:* Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos, of Eurasia* Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia of North America...
(Late Pliocene - Recent) - Numenius (Late Pleistocene - Recent) - includes Palnumenius
- Jacanidae - Jacanas
- Nupharanassa (Early Oligocene)
- Janipes
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- Jacana farrandi
- Laridae - Gulls
- Laridae gen. et sp. indet. (Early Oligocene)
- Laricola (Late Oligocene/Early Miocene) - larid? Formerly "Larus" elegans and "L." totanoides
- Gaviota (Middle/Late Miocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- LarusLarusLarus is a large genus of gulls with worldwide distribution . Many of its species are abundant and well-known birds in their ranges...
(Middle Miocene - Recent)
- Larus
- Alcidae - Auks
- Hydrotherikornis (Late Eocene)
- Pseudocepphus (Middle - Late Miocene)
- Petralca (Early ?- Late Oligocene)
- Miocepphus (Middle Miocene)
- Alcodes (Late Miocene)
- Praemancalla (Late Miocene - Early Pliocene)
- Mancalla (Late Miocene - Early Pleistocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- CepphusCepphusCepphus is a genus of seabirds in the auk family also referred to as true guillemots or, in North America, simply as guillemots. These are medium-sized birds with mainly black plumage in the breeding season, thin dark bills and red legs and feet. Two species have white wing patches, the third has...
(Late Miocene - Recent) - CerorhincaRhinoceros AukletThe Rhinoceros Auklet is a seabird and a close relative of the puffins. It is the only living species of the genus Cerorhinca. Given its close relationship with the puffins, the common name Rhinoceros Puffin has been proposed for the species.It ranges widely across the North Pacific, feeding on...
(Late Miocene - Recent) - UriaUriaUria is a genus of seabirds in the auk family known in Britain as guillemots, in most of North America as murres, and in Newfoundland and Labrador as turr. These are medium-sized birds with mainly brown or black plumage in the breeding season...
(Late Miocene - Recent) - AethiaAethiaAethia is a genus of four small auklets endemic to the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk and among some of North America's most abundant seabirds. The relationships between the four true auklets remains unclear...
(Late Miocene - Recent) - AlcaRazorbillThe Razorbill is colonial seabird that will only come to land in order to breed. It is the largest living member of the Auk family. This agile bird will choose only one partner for life and females will lay one egg per year. Razorbills will nest along coastal cliffs in enclosed or slightly exposed...
(Late Miocene/Early Pliocene - Recent) - SynthliboramphusSynthliboramphusSynthliboramphus is a small genus of seabirds in the auk family from the North Pacific. It consists of four species:* Xantus's Murrelet, Synthliboramphus hypoleucus* Craveri's Murrelet, Synthliboramphus craveri...
(Late Miocene/Early Pliocene - Recent) - Fratercula (Early Pliocene - Recent)
- Pinguinus (Early Pliocene - Recent)
- BrachyramphusBrachyramphusBrachyramphus is a small genus of seabirds from the North Pacific. It consists of three species:* Marbled Murrelet, Brachyramphus marmoratus* Long-billed Murrelet Brachyramphus perdix* Kittlitz's Murrelet, Brachyramphus brevirostris...
(Late Pliocene - Recent) - Ptychoramphus (Late Pliocene - Recent)
- Cepphus
- Stercorariidae - Skuas and jaegers
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- Stercorarius sp. (Middle Miocene)
- Stercorarius shufeldti (Fossil Lake Middle Pleistocene of WC USA)
- Prehistoric subspecies of extant species
- Stercorarius pomarinus philippi
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- GlareolidaeGlareolidaeGlareolidae is a family of birds in the wader suborder Charadri. It contains two distinct groups, the pratincoles and the coursers. The coursers include the atypical Egyptian Plover, Pluvianus aegyptius, which has sometimes been placed in its own family...
- Pratincoles- Paractiornis (Agate Fossil Beds Early Miocene of Sioux County, USA)
- Mioglareola (Early Miocene of Czechia) - formerly "Larus" dolnicensis
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- Glareola neogena
- Burhinidae - Thick-knees
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- Burhinus lucorum (Early Miocene)
- Burhinus aquilonaris
- BurhinusBurhinusBurhinus is a genus of bird in the Burhinidae family. It contains the following species:* Bush Stone-Curlew * Double-striped Thick-knee * Peruvian Thick-knee...
sp. (Cuba, West Indies) - BurhinusBurhinusBurhinus is a genus of bird in the Burhinidae family. It contains the following species:* Bush Stone-Curlew * Double-striped Thick-knee * Peruvian Thick-knee...
sp. (Late Pleistocene of Las Higueruelas, Spain) - Prehistoric subspecies of extant species
- Burhinus bistriatus nanus (Bahamas, West Indies)
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- CharadriidaeCharadriidaeThe bird family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings, about 64 to 66 species in all.- Morphology :They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings, but most species of lapwing may have more rounded wings...
- Plovers- Limicolavis (John Day Early Miocene of Malheur County, USA)
- Viator (Late Pleistocene of Talara, Peru) - may be synonym of Vanellus (or Belanopteryx if valid)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- VanellusVanellusVanellus is the genus of waders which provisionally contains all lapwings except Red-kneed Dotterel, Erythrogonys cinctus. The name "vanellus" is Latin for "little fan", vanellus being the diminutive of vannus . The name is in reference to the sound lapwings' wings make in...
(Middle/Late Pleistocene - Recent) - includes Belanopteryx
- Vanellus
- Additional prehistoric species of extant genera
- Oreopholus orcesi
- RecurvirostridaeRecurvirostridaeRecurvirostridae is a family of birds in the wader suborder Charadrii. It contains two distinct groups of birds, the avocets and the stilts .-Description and diet:...
- Avocets- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Himantopus (Late Miocene - Recent)
- Additional prehistoric species of extant genera
- Recurvirostra sanctaeneboulae
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
GastornithiformesGastornithiformesGastornithiformes are an order of prehistoric birds. The birds from this group lived from the Paleocene to the Eocene and were spread out across Asia, Europe, and North America. All the birds were very large birds that were flightless, similar to an ostrich but more heavily built and with a huge...
(extinct)
The diatrymas, a group of huge flightless Paleogene birds of unclear affinities. Traditionally placed within the Gruiformes, they are usually considered a distinct order nowadays and appear closer to the Anseriformes.
- Gastornithidae
- GastornisGastornisGastornis is an extinct genus of large flightless bird that lived during the late Paleocene and Eocene epochs of the Cenozoic. It was named in 1855, after Gaston Planté, who had discovered the first fossils in Argile Plastique formation deposits at Meudon near Paris...
(Late Paleocene - middle Eocene) - includes Diatryma - Gasthornithidae gen. et sp. indet. (Paleocene) - possibly Gastornis
- Gasthornithidae gen. et sp. indet. YPM PU 13258 (Early Eocene) - possibly juvenile Gastornis giganteus
- "Diatryma" cotei (middle-Late Eocene)
- ZhongyuanusZhongyuanusZhongyuanus is an extinct genus of giant flightless gastornithid bird from the Lower Eocene of China. Only one species is recorded, Zhongyuanus xichuanensis....
- Gastornis
GruiformesGruiformesThe Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
The group that includes modern railRallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
s and crane
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
s. Probably paraphyletic.
- Placement unresolved
- Propelargus (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene) - cariamid or idiornithid
- Rupelrallus (Early Oligocene) - rallid? parvigruid?
- Badistornis (middle Oligocene) - aramid?
- Probalearica (Late Oligocene? - Middle Pliocene) - gruid? A nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
? - "Gruiformes" gen. et sp. indet. MNZ S42623 (Early/Middle Miocene) - Aptornithidae?
- Aramornis (Middle Miocene) - gruid? aramid?
- Aramus paludigrusAramus paludigrusAramus paludigrus is an extinct species of limpkin, semi-aquatic birds related to cranes , which are similar. Aramus paludigrus was found in the famous fossil site of La Venta, dating from the mid-Miocene period, in central Colombia...
(Middle Miocene) - Aramid - Euryonotus (Pleistocene) - rallid?
- Occitaniavis - cariamid or idiornithid, includes Geranopsis elatus
- Parvigruidae
- ParvigrusParvigrusParvigrus is an extinct bird genus, with the single species Parvigrus pohli. It is considered a family, the Parvigruidae. The remains of Parvigrus pohli have been described from fossils found in Vachères in France, from rocks from the Lower Oligocene...
(Early Oligocene of Pichovet, France)
- Parvigrus
- Songziidae - possibly a nomen nudumNomen nudumThe phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
SongziaSongzia is the name given to a genus of gruiform bird related to rails. It lived in the Eocene epoch. Though many families traditionally assigned to the Gruiformes do not seem to actually belong there, this is apparently not the case with this animal...
(Eocene) - possibly a nomen nudumNomen nudumThe phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
- Rails
- Eocrex (Early Eocene)
- Palaeorallus (Early Eocene)
- Parvirallus (Early - middle Eocene)
- Aletornis (middle Eocene) - includes Protogrus
- Fulicaletornis (middle Eocene)
- Latipons (middle Eocene)
- Ibidopsis (Late Eocene)
- Quercyrallus (Late Eocene -? Late Oligocene)
- Belgirallus (Early Oligocene)
- Rallicrex (Middle/Late Oligocene)
- Palaeoaramides (Late Oligocene/Early Miocene - Late Miocene)
- Paraortygometra (Late Oligocene/?Early Miocene -? Middle Miocene)
- Pararallus (Late Oligocene? - Late Miocene) - possibly belongs into Palaeoaramides
- Miofulica (Middle Miocene)
- Youngornis (Middle Miocene)
- Miorallus (Middle - Late Miocene)
- Creccoides (Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene)
- Placement unresolved
- Rallidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Oligocene)
- Rallidae gen. et spp. indet. (Early/Middle Miocene) - several species
- Rallidae gen. et sp. indet. (Middle Miocene)
- Rallidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Miocene)
- Rallidae gen. et sp. indet. UMMP V55013/-14; UMMP V55012/V45750/V45746 (Late Pliocene)
- Rallidae gen. et sp. indet. UMMP V29080 (Late Pliocene)
- Rallidae gen. et sp. indet. (Bermuda, West Atlantic)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Gallinula (Late Oligocene - Recent)
- RallusRallusRallus is a genus of wetland birds of the rail family. Sometimes, the genera Lewinia and Gallirallus are included in it. Six of the species are found in the Americas, and the three species found in Eurasia, Africa and Madagascar are very closely related to each other, suggesting they are descended...
(Middle Miocene - Recent) - includes Epirallus - PorzanaPorzanaPorzana is a genus of birds in the crake or rail family, Rallidae. It has a global distribution, contains 13 living species, and 4-5 recently extinct ones...
(Middle? Miocene - Recent) - Fulica (Early Pliocene - Recent)
- Additional prehistoric species of extant genera
- Coturnicops avita (Glenns Ferry Late Pliocene of Hagerman, USA)
- Laterallus insignis (Rexroad Late Pliocene of Rexroad, USA)
- LaterallusLaterallusLaterallus is a genus of birds in the rail family Rallidae. These small, relatively short-billed terrestrial rails are found among dense vegetation near water in the Neotropics, although a single species, the Black Rail, also occurs in the United States....
sp. (Late Pliocene of Macasphalt Shell Pit, USA)
- Eogrus (Irdin Manha Middle/Late Eocene - Tung Gur Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Mongolia)
- Sonogrus (Ergilin Dzo Late Eocene/Early Oligocene of Khor Dzan, Mongolia)
- Ergilornis (Early/middle Oligocene of Ergil-Obo, Mongolia)
- Proergilornis (Early/middle Oligocene of Ergil-Obo, Mongolia)
- Amphipelargus
- Urmiornis - may belong into Amphipelargus
- Palaeogrus (middle Eocene of Germany and Italy - Middle Miocene of France)
- Camusia (Late Miocene of Menorca, Mediterranean)
- Pliogrus (Early Pliocene of Eppelsheim, Germany)
- Placement unresolved
- Gruidae gen. et sp. indet. - formerly Grus conferta (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Contra Costa County, USA)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- BalearicaBalearicaThe bird genus Balearica consists of two species in the crane family Gruidae: the Black Crowned Crane and the Grey Crowned Crane ....
(Early Miocene - Recent) - includes Basityto and Grus excelsa/Ornithocnemis excelsus - Grus (Middle/Late Miocene - Recent)
- Balearica
Messel pit
The Messel Pit is a disused quarry near the village of Messel, about southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bituminous shale was mined there. Because of its abundance of fossils, it has significant geological and scientific importance...
-birds
- ItardiornisItardiornisItardiornis is an extinct genus of the family Messelornithidae from late Eocene and early Oligocene. Only one species is descript, Itardiornis hessae, from Quercy fissure fillings....
- MesselornisMesselornisMesselornis is an extinct relative of the sunbittern.-External links:*...
- Salmila
- Strigogyps - probably includes Aenigmavis and Ameghinornis
- Eogeranoides (Willwood Early Eocene of Foster Gulch, USA)
- Geranoides (Willwood Early Eocene of South Elk Creek, USA)
- Palaeophasianus (Willwood Early Eocene of Bighorn County, USA)
- Paragrus (Early Eocene of WC USA)
- Geranodornis (Bridger middle Eocene of Church Buttes, USA)
- Eutreptornis (Uinta Late Eocene of Ouray Agency, USA)
- NeocathartesNeocathartesNeocathartes is an extinct genus of gruiform bird. It contains a single named species, Neocathartes grallator , known from some fossil bones found in Late Eocene Washakie Formation deposits of Wyoming. Similar bones have been recovered from the Early Eocene Willwood Formation...
(Late Eocene) - Palaeogyps (Early Oligocene of WC North America)
- Bathornithidae gen. nov. (Early - middle Oligocene of C USA) - formerly Bathornis celeripes and B. cursor
- Paracrax (Early/middle Oligocene of Gerry's Ranch, USA - Brule Late Oligocene of South Dakota, USA) - includes Oligocorax|Oligocorax/Phalacrocorax mediterraneus
- Bathornis (Early Oligocene - Early Miocene of C USA)
- Idiornithidae
- Idiornis (middle Eocene of Messel, Germany ?- Quercy Phosphorites middle Oligocene of Quercy, France)
- Gypsornis (Montmartre Late Eocene of Montmartre, France)
- Oblitavis
- PhorusrhacidaePhorusrhacidaePhorusrhacids , colloquially known as "terror birds" as the larger species were apex predators during the Miocene, were a clade of large carnivorous flightless birds that were the dominant predators in South America during the Cenozoic, 62–2 million years ago. They were roughly 1–3 meters tall...
- Terror birds- PaleopsilopterusPaleopsilopterusPaleopsilopterus is an extinct genus of giant flightless predatory birds of the family Phorusrhacidae or "terror birds" and the subfamily of the psilopterinae that lived 60 million years ago in Brazil during the middle paleocene. The only known species is Paleopsilopterus itaboraiensis....
(Middle Paleocene) - AndrewsornisAndrewsornisAndrewsornis is an extinct genus of giant flightless predatory birds of the family Phorusrhacidae or "terror birds" that lived in Argentina....
(middle - Late Oligocene) - PhysornisPhysornisPhysornis is an extinct genus of giant flightless predatory birds of the family Phorusrhacidae or "terror birds" that lived in Argentina. The only known species is Physornis fortis. It lived from 28 to 23 million years ago....
(middle - Late Oligocene) - PsilopterusPsilopterusPsilopterus is an extinct genus of phorusrhacid from the Middle Oligocene to Late Miocene of Argentina. Compared to other phorusrhacids, members of the genus are both relatively gracile and diminutive, and include the smallest known species of terror bird: with the head raised P...
(middle Oligocene - Late Miocene) - ParaphysornisParaphysornisParaphysornis is an extinct genus of giant flightless predatory birds of the family Phorusrhacidae or "terror birds" and the subfamily brontornithinae that lived in Brazil. Its length was about 2 meter and the skull had a length of 60 centimeter. The only known species is Paraphysornis...
(Late Oligocene/Early Miocene) - BrontornisBrontornisBrontornis was a genus of giant flightless predatory birds that lived in Patagonia. The only species currently accepted as valid is B. burmeisteri...
(Early - Middle Miocene) - PatagornisPatagornisPatagornis is an extinct genus of giant flightless predatory birds of the family Phorusrhacidae or "terror birds" that lived in Argentina....
(Early - Middle Miocene) - PhorusrhacosPhorusrhacosPhorusrhacos was a genus of giant flightless predatory birds that lived in Patagonia, containing the single species Phorusrhacos longissimus. Their closest living relatives are the much smaller seriema birds...
(Early - Middle Miocene) - AndalgalornisAndalgalornisAndalgalornis was a genus of flightless predatory birds of the family Phorusrhacidae that lived in Argentina. The type and only species is A. steulleti....
(Late Miocene - Early Pliocene) - DevincenziaDevincenziaDevincenzia is an extinct genus of giant flightless predatory birds of the family Phorusrhacidae or "terror birds" that lived from 7 till 5 million years ago in Argentina and Uruguay during the late miocene and early pliocene. D. pozzi was formally known as Onactornis pozzi. It stood about 2,5...
(Late Miocene - Early Pliocene) - ProcariamaProcariamaProcariama is an extinct Monotypic genus of giant flightless predatory birds in the family Phorusrhacidae or "terror birds" which lived in Argentina....
(Late Miocene - Early Pliocene) - MesembriornisMesembriornisMesembriornis is a genus of intermediate-sized phorusrhacids that grew up to 1.5 meters in height. They represent a well-distinct lineage of terror birds, differing from the massive large groups and the smaller Psilopterinae...
(Late Miocene - Late Pliocene) - TitanisTitanisTitanis is a large extinct flightless carnivorous bird of the family Phorusrhacidae, endemic to North America during the Blancan stage of the Pliocene living 4.9—1.8 Ma, and died out during the Gelasian Age of the earliest Pleistocene, existing approximately .-Etymology:The generic name, Titanis,...
(Early - Late Pliocene) - KelenkenKelenkenKelenken is an extinct genus of giant flightless predatory birds of the family Phorusrhacidae or "terror birds".These birds lived in the Middle Miocene, some 15 million years ago, in Argentina along with Argentavis. With a skull 28 inches long , it had the largest head of any known bird...
(Early - Late Pliocene)
- Paleopsilopterus
- Cariamidae - Seriemas
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- Chunga incerta
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- Otididae - Bustards
- Gryzaja
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- Otis khosatzkii (Late Pliocene of Varshets, Bulgaria)
- Chlamydotis affinis
Phoenicopteriformes
- Placement unresolved
- Phoeniconotius (Etadunna Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of Lake PitikantaLake Ngapakaldi to Lake Palankarinna Fossil AreaThe Lake Ngapakaldi to Lake Palankarinna Fossil Area is a fossil protection reserve in the Tirari Desert, in the eastern part of the Far North region of South Australia. Some 3500 ha in area, it is about 70 km east of Lake Eyre and 100 km north-north-east of Marree, off the...
, Australia)
- Phoeniconotius (Etadunna Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of Lake Pitikanta
- PalaelodidaePalaelodidaeThe Palaelodidae are a family of extinct birds in the order Phoenicopteriformes, which today is represented only by the flamingos. They have been described as "swimming flamingos."Three genera are recognised:...
- Swimming-flamingos- Adelalopus (Borgloon Early Oligocene of Hoogbutsel, Belgium)
- PalaelodusPalaelodusPalaelodus is an extinct genus of birds distantly related to flamingos. They were slender birds with long, thin legs and a long neck. Little is known about the shape of their skull or beak. Some paleontologists think Palaelodus was able to swim under water, chasing prey, but the morphology of their...
(middle Oligocene -? Middle Pleistocene) - MegapaloelodusMegapaloelodusMegapaloelodusis an extinct genus of birds distantly related to flamingos. It belongs to the same family as the closely related genus Palaelodus, but was more specialized...
(Late Oligocene - Early Pliocene)
- Phoenicopteridae - Flamingos
- Elornis (Middle? Eocene - Early Oligocene) - includes Actiornis
- Placement unresolved
- Phoenicopteridae gen. et sp. indet. (Middle? - Late Miocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Phoenicopterus (middle Oligocene - Recent)
Podicipediformes
- Podicipedidae - Grebes
- Miobaptus (Early Miocene)
- Thiornis (Late Miocene -? Early Pliocene)
- Pliolymbus (Late Pliocene - Early? Pleistocene)
- Placement unresolved
- Podicipedidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Pliocene) - formerly included in Podiceps parvus
- Podicipedidae gen. et sp. indet. UMMP 49592, 52261, 51848, 52276, KUVP 4484 (Late Pliocene)
- Podicipedidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- PodicepsPodicepsPodiceps is a genus of birds in the grebe family.It has representatives breeding in Europe, Asia, North and South America. Most northern hemisphere species migrate in winter to the coast or warmer climates....
(Late Oligocene/Early Miocene - Recent) - AechmophorusAechmophorusAechmophorusis a genus of birds in the grebe family.It has two living representatives breeding in western North America.*Western Grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis*Clark's Grebe, Aechmophorus clarkii...
(Late Pliocene - Recent) - PodilymbusPodilymbusPodilymbus is a genus of birds in the Podicipedidae family, containing the extinct Atitlán Grebe and the Pied-billed Grebe...
(Late Pliocene - Recent)
- Podiceps
CiconiiformesCiconiiformesTraditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. Ciconiiformes are known from the Late Eocene...
The diverse group that includes storkStork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
s, heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s and New World vulture
New World vulture
The New World Vulture or Condor family Cathartidae contains seven species in fivegenera, all but one of which are monotypic. It includes five vultures and two condors found in warm and temperate areas of the Americas....
s. Paraphyletic as listed here.
- Placement unresolved
- Proplegadis (London Clay Early Eocene of England) - Threskiornithidae?
- "Teratornis olsoni - Teratornithidae?
- Ardeidae - Herons
- Calcardea (Paleocene)
- ProardeaProardeaProardea is an extinct genus of heron, containing a single species, Proardea amissa . It stood about 70 cm tall and was very similar to a modern heron in shape...
(Late Eocene ?- Late Oligocene) - Xenerodiops (Early Oligocene)
- ZeltornisZeltornisZeltornis is an extinct genus of heron. It contains a single species, Zeltornis ginsburgi.Zeltornis probably resembled the modern night herons, but was much larger, standing 2 m tall and weighing about 15 kg. Its wingspan is estimated at 2.50 m...
(Early Miocene) - Ardeagradis
- Proardeola - possibly same as Proardea
- Placement unresolved
- Anas basaltica (Late Oligocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- NycticoraxNycticoraxNycticorax is a genus of night herons. The name Nycticorax derives from the Greek for “night raven” and refers to the largely nocturnal feeding habits of this group of birds, and the croaking crow-like call of the best known species, the Black-crowned Night Heron.These are medium-sized herons which...
(Early Oligocene - Recent) - ArdeaArdea (genus)Ardea is a genus of herons. Linnaeus named this genus as the Great Herons, referring to the generally large size of these birds, typically 80–100 cm or more in length....
(Middle Miocene - Recent) - EgrettaEgrettaEgretta is a genus of medium-sized herons, mostly breeding in warmer climates. Representatives of this family are found in most of the world, and the Little Egret, as well as being widespread throughout much of the Old World, has now started to colonise the Americas.These are typical egrets in...
(Late Miocene/Early Pliocene - Recent) - ButoridesButoridesButorides is a genus of small herons. It contains three similar species, the Green Heron or Green-backed Heron, Butorides virescens, the Lava Heron , and the Striated Heron, Butorides striatus...
(Early Pleistocene - Recent) - BotaurusBotaurusBotaurus is a genus of bitterns, a group of wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae. It has a single representative species in each of North America, Central and South America, Eurasia and Australasia...
- Nycticorax
- Scopidae - Hammerkop
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- Scopus xenopus
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- ThreskiornithidaeThreskiornithidaeThe family Threskiornithidae includes 34 species of large terrestrial and wading birds, falling into two subfamilies, the ibises and the spoonbills. It was formerly known as Plataleidae. The spoonbills and ibises were once thought to be related to other groups of long-legged wading birds in the...
- Ibises- Threskiornithidae gen. et sp. indet. NMMP-KU 1301 (Pondaung middle Eocene of Paukkaung, Myanmar) - Threskiornithinae?
- RhynchaeitesRhynchaeitesRhynchaeites is an extinct genus of Threskiornithidae related to modern ibises and has a single named species Rhynchaeites meselensis. It lived in today's Germany during the mid-Eocene and its remains were found in the famous Messel pit....
(middle Eocene of Messel, Germany) - including Plumumida, may include Mopsitta - Extant genera present in the fossil record
- GeronticusGeronticusThe small bird genus Geronticus belongs to the ibis subfamily . Its name is derived from the Greek gérontos in reference to the bald head of these dark-plumaged birds; in English they are called bald ibises.Geronticus contains two living species. The Northern Bald Ibis has a neck crest of...
(Middle Miocene - Recent)
- Geronticus
- Additional prehistoric species of extant genera
- Platalea tiangangensis (Xiacaowan Middle Miocene of Sihong, China)
- Plegadis paganus (Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of France) - formerly Eudocimus, including Milnea
- Plegadis gracilis (Late Pliocene of WC USA)
- Plegadis pharangites (Late Pliocene of WC USA)
- Theristicus wetmorei (Late Pleistocene of Peru)
- Eudocimus leiseyi (Early Pleistocene of Florida)
- Eudocimus peruvianus (Late Pleistocene of Peru; may be living species)
- EudocimusEudocimusEudocimus is a genus of ibises, wading birds of the family Threskiornithidae. They occur in the warmer parts of the New World with representatives from the southern United States south through Central America, the West Indies and South America....
sp. (Middle Pliocene of Florida)
- TeratornithidaeTeratornithidaeTeratorns were very large birds of prey that lived in North and South America from Miocene to Pleistocene. They include some of the largest known flying birds. So far, at least four species have been identified:*Teratornis merriami . This is by far the best-known species...
- Teratorns- ArgentavisArgentavisArgentavis magnificens is the largest flying bird ever discovered. This bird, sometimes called the Giant Teratorn, is an extinct species known from three sites from the late Miocene of central and northwestern Argentina, where a good sample of fossils has been obtained.The humerus of...
(Late Miocene) - AiolornisAiolornisAiolornis incredibilis , of the teratorn family, was the largest known North American flight-capable bird, with a wingspan of up to 17 feet and a huge, deep, powerful bill. A. incredibilis presumably became extinct at the same time as the other megafauna in North America...
(Early Pliocene - Late Pleistocene) - TeratornisTeratornisTeratornis merriami was a huge North American teratorn, with a wingspan of around 3.5 to 3.8 meters and a wing area of 17.5 square meters, standing an estimated 75 cm tall and weighing about 15 kg. It was somewhat larger than the extant Andean Condor and nearly two double the weight of the...
(Early Pleistocene - Late Pleistocene) - Oscaravis (Pleistocene)
- Cathartornis
- Argentavis
- Cathartidae - New World vultures
- Diatropornis (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene -? middle Oligocene)
- Phasmagyps (Early Oligocene)
- Brasilogyps (Late Oligocene - Early Miocene)
- Hadrogyps (Middle Miocene)
- Pliogyps (Late Miocene - Late Pliocene)
- Perugyps (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene)
- Dryornis (Early - Late? Pliocene) - may belong to modern genus Vultur
- Aizenogyps (Late Pliocene)
- Breagyps (Late Pleistocene)
- Geronogyps (Late Pleistocene)
- Wingegyps (Late Pleistocene)
- Parasarcoramphus
- Placement unresolved
- Cathartidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Oligocene of Mongolia)
- Cathartidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA)
- Cathartidae gen. et sp. indet. (Middle Pliocene of Argentina)
- Cathartidae gen. et sp. indet. (Cuba)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Sarcoramphus (Middle Pliocene ?- Recent)
- Gymnogyps (Early Pleistocene - Recent)
- Vultur (Pliocene - Recent) - distinctiveness disputed
- Balaenicipitidae - Shoebills
- Goliathia (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene of Egypt)
- Paludavis (Late Miocene of Tunisia and Pakistan)
- Ciconiidae - Storks
- PalaeoephippiorhynchusPalaeoephippiorhynchusPalaeoephippiorhynchus is an extinct genus of large stork from the Oligocene and Miocene. There are two recorded species, P. dietrichi from early Oligocene of Egypt and P. edwardsi from Miocene of Libya.-References:...
(Early Oligocene) - Grallavis (Early Miocene) - may be same as Prociconia
- Pelargosteon (Early Pleistocene)
- Prociconia (Late Pleistocene) - may belong to modern genus Jabiru or Ciconia
- Placement unresolved
- Ciconiidae gen. et sp. indet. - formerly Aquilavus/Cygnus bilinicus (Early Miocene)
- Ciconiidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Miocene)
- cf. Leptoptilos gen. et sp. indet. - formerly L. siwalicensis (Late Miocene? - Late Pliocene)
- Ciconiidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Pleistocene) - Ciconia or Mycteria?
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- CiconiaCiconiaCiconia is a genus of birds in the stork family. Six of the seven living species occur in the Old World, but the Maguari Stork has a South American range. In addition, fossils suggest that Ciconia storks were somewhat more common in the tropical Americas in prehistoric times.These are large storks,...
(Early Miocene? - Recent) - includes Xenorhynchus - MycteriaMycteriaMycteria is a genus of large tropical storks with representatives in the Americas, east Africa and southern and southeastern Asia. Two species have "ibis" in their scientific or old common names, but they are not related to these birds and simply look more similar to an ibis than do other...
(Middle Miocene - Recent) - EphippiorhynchusEphippiorhynchusEphippiorhynchus is a small genus of storks. It contains two living species only, very large birds more than 140 cm tall with a 230–270 cm wingspan. Both are mainly black and white, with huge colourful, mainly red and black bills. The sexes of these species are similarly plumaged, but...
(Late Miocene - Recent) - LeptoptilosLeptoptilosLeptoptilos is a genus of very large tropical storks. Two species are resident breeders in southern Asia, and the Marabou Stork is found in sub-Saharan Africa....
(Late Miocene - Recent) - includes Cryptociconia - JabiruJabiruThe Jabiru is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. It is most common in the Pantanal region of Brazil and the Eastern Chaco region of Paraguay. It is the only member of the genus Jabiru...
(Early Pliocene - Recent)
- Ciconia
- Palaeoephippiorhynchus
PelecaniformesPelecaniformesThe Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
The group that includes modern pelicanPelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
s and cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s. As presented here paraphyletic; the tropicbird lineage is not part of this group and relationships with Procellariiformes and Sphenisciformes require more research. Also, as the pelicans are at least as close to the Ciconiiformes
Ciconiiformes
Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. Ciconiiformes are known from the Late Eocene...
as to cormorants, the latter group is being recognized as Phalacrocoraciiformes by some recent authors and the core Pelecaniformes are occasionally merged into the Ciconiiformes.
- Basal and unresolved forms
- Piscator (Late Eocene of England) – basal phalacrococacoid?
- "Sula ronzoni (Early Oligocene of Ronzon, France) – formerly Mergus and Prophalacrocorax
- "Pelecaniformes" gen. et sp. indet. (Jebel Qatrani Early Oligocene of Fayum, Egypt) basal phalacrococacoid (similar to Piscator?)?
- Borvocarbo (Late Oligocene of C Europe) – phalacrocoracid? basal phalacrococacoid?
- Prophaethontidae
- Lithoptila (Late Paleocene – Early Eocene of Ouled Abdoun Basin, Morocco) – including Abdounornis
- Prophaethon (Late Paleocene ?– Early Eocene)
- Phaethontidae – Tropicbirds
- Phaethusavis (Early Eocene of Ouled Abdoun Basin, Morocco)
- Heliadornis (Miocene of North America and Europe)
- Fregatidae – Frigatebirds
- LimnofregataLimnofregataLimnofregata is an extinct genus of primitive frigatebird. The two known species were described after fossils from the Early Eocene Green River Formation of Wyoming. A number of good complete and partial skeletons, some with feather impressions, are known of the type species, and L...
(Early Eocene)
- Limnofregata
- SulidaeSulidaeThe bird family Sulidae comprises the gannets and boobies. Collectively called sulidas, they are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish and similar prey. The ten species in this family are often considered congeneric in older sources, placing all in the genus Sula...
– Gannets and boobies- Masillastega (middle Eocene)
- Eostega (Middle/Late Eocene)
- Empheresula (Late Oligocene – Middle Miocene)
- Microsula (Late Oligocene – Middle Miocene)
- Sarmatosula (Middle Miocene)
- Miosula (Late Miocene)
- Palaeosula (?Early Pliocene)
- Rhamphastosula (Early Pliocene)
- Placement unresolved
- Sulidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Oligocene)
- Sulidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Pliocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Morus (Early Miocene – Recent)
- Sula (Middle Pliocene – Recent)
- Phalacrocoracidae – Cormorants and shags
- Limicorallus (middle Oligocene)
- Nectornis (Late Oligocene?/Early Miocene – Middle Miocene) – includes Oligocorax miocaenus
- "ValenticarboValenticarboValenticarbo is a supposed genus of extinct bird that lived during the Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene of South Asia. It contains only the type species, V...
" (Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene) – a nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application... - Placement unresolved
- Phalacrocoracidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Eocene ?–? mid-Oligocene)
- "Oligocorax" sp. (Late Oligocene of Enspel, Germany)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Phalacrocorax (Oligocene ?– Recent) – may be several genera. Includes Australocorax, Miocorax, Pliocarbo
- PlotopteridaePlotopteridaePlotopteridae is the name of an extinct family of flightless seabirds from the order Pelecaniformes. Related to the gannets and boobies, they exhibited remarkable convergent evolution with the penguins, particularly with the now extinct giant penguins...
– Diving-"boobies"- CopepteryxCopepteryxCopepteryx is an extinct genus of flightless bird of the family Plotopteridae endemic to Japan during the Oligocene living from 28.4—23 mya, existing for approximately .Copepteryx is a plotopterid bird.-Taxonomy:...
- Hokkaidornis
- Phocavis
- Plotopterum
- Tonsala
- Copepteryx
- Protoplotidae
- Protoplotus (Paleocene? – middle Eocene of Sumatra)
- Anhingidae – Darters
- Meganhinga (Early Miocene)
- Macranhinga (Middle/Late Miocene –? Early Pliocene)
- "Paranavis" (Middle/Late Miocene) – a nomen nudumNomen nudumThe phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
- Giganhinga (Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- AnhingaDarterThe darters or snakebirds are mainly tropical waterbirds in the family Anhingidae. There are four living species, three of which are very common and widespread while the fourth is rarer and classified as near-threatened by the IUCN. The term "snakebird" is usually used without any additions to...
(Early Miocene – Recent)
- Anhinga
- PelagornithidaePelagornithidaeThe Pelagornithidae, commonly called pelagornithids, pseudodontorns, bony-toothed birds, false-toothed birds or pseudotooth birds, are a prehistoric family of large seabirds...
– Pseudotooth birds- PseudodontornisPseudodontornisPseudodontornis is a rather disputed genus of the prehistoric pseudotooth birds. The pseudotooth birds or pelagornithids were probably rather close relatives of either pelicans and storks, or of waterfowl, and are here placed in the order Odontopterygiformes to account for this uncertainty...
(Late Paleocene - London Clay Early Eocene of England) - DasornisDasornisDasornis is a genus of the prehistoric pseudotooth birds. These were probably rather close relatives of either pelicans and storks, or of waterfowl, and are here placed in the order Odontopterygiformes to account for this uncertainty....
(London Clay Early Eocene of England) – including Argillornis, "Lithornis" emuinus and "Neptuniavis" miranda - MacrodontopteryxMacrodontopteryxMacrodontopteryx is a genus of the prehistoric pseudotooth birds of somewhat doubtful validity. These animals were probably rather close relatives of either pelicans and storks, or of waterfowl, and are here placed in the order Odontopterygiformes to account for this uncertainty.-Description:Only a...
(London Clay Early Eocene of England) - OdontopteryxOdontopteryxOdontopteryx is a genus of the prehistoric pseudotooth birds or pelagornithids. These were probably rather close relatives of either pelicans and storks, or of waterfowl, and are here placed in the order Odontopterygiformes to account for this uncertainty....
(London Clay Early Eocene of England) – including "Neptuniavis" minor - GigantornisGigantornisGigantornis eaglesomei was a giant prehistoric bird, described from a fragmentary specimen from the Eocene of Nigeria. It was considered to be a representative of the albatross family , but was later referred to the bony-toothed birds,...
(middle Eocene of Nigeria) - CyphornisCyphornisCyphornis is a genus of the prehistoric pseudotooth birds. These were probably rather close relatives of either pelicans and storks, or of waterfowl, and are here placed in the order Odontopterygiformes to account for this uncertainty.-Description:...
(Eocene of Vancouver, Canada) - OsteodontornisOsteodontornisOsteodontornis is an extinct seabird genus. It contains a single named species, Osteodontornis orri , which was described quite exactly one century after the first species of the Pelagornithidae was. O...
(Early Oligocene - Pliocene) - PelagornisPelagornisPelagornis is a widely-known genus of the prehistoric pseudotooth birds. These were probably rather close relatives of either pelicans and storks, or of waterfowl, and are here placed in the order Odontopterygiformes to account for this uncertainty....
(Middle Miocene of France - Late Pliocene of Morocco) - CaspiodontornisCaspiodontornisCaspiodontornis is a doubtfully valid genus of the prehistoric pseudotooth birds of somewhat doubtful validity. These were probably rather close relatives of either pelicans and storks, or of waterfowl, and are here placed in the order Odontopterygiformes to account for this uncertainty.Only a...
- PalaeochenoidesPalaeochenoidesPalaeochenoides is a genus of the prehistoric pseudotooth birds of somewhat doubtful validity. These were probably rather close relatives of either pelicans and storks, or of waterfowl, and are here placed in the order Odontopterygiformes to account for this uncertainty.Only a single species,...
- TympanoneisiotesTympanoneisiotesTympanonesiotes is a somewhat doubtfully valid genus of the prehistoric pseudotooth birds. These were probably rather close relatives of either pelicans and storks, or of waterfowl, and are here placed in the order Odontopterygiformes to account for this uncertainty.-Species and taxonomy:Only a...
- Placement unresolved
- ?Pelagornithidae gen. et sp. indet. (middle Eocene)
- Pseudodontornis
- Pelecanidae - Pelicans
- MiopelecanusMiopelecanusMiopelecanus is an extinct genus of pelican....
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Pelecanus (Late Pliocene - Recent)
- Miopelecanus
ProcellariiformesProcellariiformesProcellariiformes is an order of seabirds that comprises four families: the albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, storm petrels, and diving petrels...
The group that includes modern albatrossAlbatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
es, petrel
Petrel
Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group...
s and storm-petrel
Storm-petrel
Storm petrels are seabirds in the family Hydrobatidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.Storm petrels have a cosmopolitan...
s.
- Placement unresolved
- Primodroma (Early Eocene)
- †DiomedeoididaeDiomedeoididaeThe Diomedeoididae are a prehistoric family of seabirds. The family was in the order Procellariiformes which today is composed of the albatrosses and petrels. At present the family contains a single genus, Diomedeoides, in which there are three described species...
- Rupelornis (Early Oligocene of Belgium)
- Diomedeoides (Early Oligocene - Early Miocene of C Europe and Iran) - includes Frigidafons, may be synonym of Rupelornis
- Diomedeidae - Albatrosses
- Murunkus (middle Eocene)
- Plotornis (Early - Middle Miocene) - includes "Puffinus" arvernensis
- Placement unresolved
- Diomedeidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Oligocene of South Carolina)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Diomedea (Middle Miocene - Recent)
- Phoebastria (Middle Miocene - Recent)
- Thalassarche (Late Miocene - Recent)
- Hydrobatidae - Storm-petrels
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- Oceanodroma hubbsi (Capistrano Middle/Late Miocene of Orange County, USA)
- OceanodromaOceanodromaOceanodroma is a genus of storm petrels. The genus currently comprises 15 species. One species, the Guadalupe Storm Petrel , is extinct....
sp. - Pelagodroma sp. 1
- Pelagodroma sp. 2
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- ProcellariidaeProcellariidaeThe family Procellariidae is a group of seabirds that comprises the fulmarine petrels, the gadfly petrels, the prions, and the shearwaters. This family is part of the bird order Procellariiformes , which also includes the albatrosses, the storm-petrels, and the diving petrels.The procellariids are...
- Petrels- Argyrodyptes (San Julián Late Eocene/Early Oligocene of Chubut, Argentina)
- Pterodromoides
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- PuffinusPuffinusPuffinus is a genus of seabirds in the order Procellariiformes. It comprises about 20 small to medium-sized shearwaters. There are two other shearwater genera: Calonectris, which comprises three large shearwaters, and Procellaria with another four large species...
(Early Oligocene - Recent) - includes "Larus" raemdonckii - Fulmarus (Middle Miocene - Recent)
- PachyptilaPachyptilaPachyptila is a genus from the family Procellariidae and the Procellariiformes order. The members of this genus and the Blue Petrel form a sub-group called Prions.-Etymology:...
(Late Miocene - Recent) - CalonectrisCalonectrisCalonectris is a genus of seabirds. It comprises three large shearwaters. There are two other shearwater genera. Puffinus, which comprises about twenty small to medium-sized shearwaters, and Procellaria with another four large species...
(Early Pliocene - Recent) - "Pterodroma" (Pleistocene - Recent)
- ProcellariaProcellariaProcellaria is a genus of southern ocean long-winged seabirds related to prions and a member of the Procellariiformes order.-Taxonomy:Procellaria is a member of the family Procellariidae and the order procellariiformes. As members of Procellariiformes, they share certain characteristics. First they...
- Puffinus
- Pelecanoididae - Diving-petrels
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Pelecanoides (Early/Middle Miocene - Recent)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
GaviiformesGaviiformesGaviiformes is an order of aquatic birds containing the loons or divers and their closest extinct relatives. Modern gaviiformes are found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia , though prehistoric species were more widespread.-Classification and evolution:There are five living...
- Gaviidae - Loons
- ColymboidesColymboidesThe genus Colymboides contains two species of early loon dating from the late Oligocene or early Miocene. They are considered to be the earliest known unambiguous gaviiform fossils...
(Late Eocene - Early Miocene) - includes Dyspetornis and Hydrornis; paraphyletic? - Placement unresolved
- "Gavia" portisi (Late Pliocene of Orciano Pisano, Italy) - rentatively placed here. A nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
?
- "Gavia" portisi (Late Pliocene of Orciano Pisano, Italy) - rentatively placed here. A nomen dubium
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Gavia (Early Miocene - Recent)
- Colymboides
Sphenisciformes
- Unresolved and basal forms
- WaimanuWaimanuWaimanu is a genus of early penguin which lived soon after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. Its discovery helped support the idea that the radiation of the Neoaves either took place before the extinction of the dinosaurs, or that it must have been extremely rapid in geological terms...
(Early - Late Palaeocene) - Perudyptes - basal? (middle Eocene)
- Sphenisciformes gen. et sp. indet. CADIC P 21 (middle Eocene)
- Waimanu
- Spheniscidae - Penguins
- Crossvallia (Late Paleocene)
- Perudyptes (mid-Eocene)
- Anthropornis (mid-Eocene ?- Early Oligocene)
- ArchaeospheniscusArchaeospheniscusArchaeospheniscus is an extinct genus of large penguins. It currently contains three species, known from somewhat fragmentary remains. A...
(mid-/Late Eocene - Late Oligocene) - Delphinornis (mid-/Late Eocene ?- Early Oligocene)
- PalaeeudyptesPalaeeudyptesPalaeeudyptes is an extinct genus of large penguins, currently containing four accepted species. They were probably larger than almost all living penguins, with the smaller species being about the size of an Emperor Penguin and the largest ones having stood about 1.5 meters tall.Of the four...
(mid-/Late Eocene - Late Oligocene) - Icadyptes (Late Eocene)
- InkayacuInkayacuInkayacu is an extinct genus of penguin. It lived in Peru during the Late Eocene, around 36 million years ago. A nearly complete skeleton was discovered in 2008 and includes fossilized feathers, the first known in penguins. A study of the melanosomes, pigment-containing organelles within the...
(Late Eocene) - PachydyptesPachydyptesPachydyptes is an extinct genus of penguin. It contains the single species Pachydyptes ponderosus, the New Zealand Giant Penguin...
(Late Eocene) - Marambiornis (Late Eocene -? Early Oligocene)
- Mesetaornis (Late Eocene -? Early Oligocene)
- Tonniornis (Late Eocene -? Early Oligocene)
- Wimanornis (Late Eocene -? Early Oligocene)
- Arthrodytes (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene - Early Miocene)
- Duntroonornis (Late Oligocene)
- Korora (Late Oligocene)
- Platydyptes (Late Oligocene)
- Chubutodyptes (Early Miocene)
- Eretiscus (Patagonia Early Miocene)
- ParaptenodytesParaptenodytesParaptenodytes is an extinct genus of penguins which contains two or three species sized between a Magellanic Penguin and an Emperor Penguin . They are known from fossil bones ranging from a partial skeleton and some additional material in the case of P. antarcticus, and a single humerus in the...
(Early - Late Miocene/Early Pliocene) - PalaeospheniscusPalaeospheniscusPalaeospheniscus is an extinct genus of penguins which contains three species at present. They are all known from one or two handful of bones. All specimens were found in Santa Cruz and Chubut Provinces of Patagonia, Argentina...
(Early? - Late Miocene/Early Pliocene) - AnthropodyptesAnthropodyptes-References:* Simpson, George Gaylord : A review of the pre-Pleistocene penguins of New Zealand. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 144: 319–378....
(Middle Miocene) - Madrynornis (Late Miocene)
- PseudaptenodytesPseudaptenodytesThe extinct penguin genus Pseudaptenodytes contains the type species P. macraei; smaller bones have been assigned to P. minor, although it is not certain whether they are really from a different species or simply of younger individuals; both taxa are known by an insufficient selection of bones...
(Late Miocene/Early Pliocene) - Marplesornis (Pliocene)
- Dege
- Insuza
- Nucleornis
- Placement unresolved
- Spheniscidae gen. et sp. indet (Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of Hakataramea, New Zealand)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- PygoscelisPygoscelisThe genus Pygoscelis contains three living species of penguins collectively known as "The Brush-Tailed Penguins". Their appearance - black above, white below - is the stereotypical image of penguins, and so what most people think of when they think of penguins.-Taxonomy:Mitochondrial and nuclear...
(Middle/Late Miocene - Recent) - SpheniscusSpheniscusThe banded penguins are the penguins of the Spheniscus genus. There are four living species of penguins known as banded penguins, and all have similar coloration. They are sometimes also known as "Jack-ass penguins" due to their loud locator calls sounding similar to a donkey braying...
(Middle/Late Miocene - Recent) - AptenodytesAptenodytesThe genus Aptenodytes contains two extant species of penguins collectively known as "the great penguins".-Taxonomy:...
(Early? Pliocene - Recent)
- Pygoscelis
Pteroclidiformes
- Pteroclididae - Sandgrouse
- Gerandia (Early Miocene)
- Archaeoganga
- Leptoganga
ColumbiformesColumbiformesColumbiformes are an avian order that includes the very widespread and successful doves and pigeons, classified in the family Columbidae, and the extinct Dodo and the Rodrigues Solitaire, long classified as a second family Raphidae. 313 species, found worldwide, comprise the Columbiformes order....
- Columbidae - Doves and pigeons
- Arenicolumba (Early Miocene) – doubtfully distinct from Patagioenas
- Rupephaps (Early Miocene)
- Placement unresolved
- Columbidae gen. et sp. indet. (Early/Middle Miocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- ColumbaColumba (genus)The large bird genus Columba comprises a group of medium to large stout-bodied pigeons, often referred to as the typical pigeons. The terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used indiscriminately for smaller and larger Columbidae, respectively...
(Early Pliocene - Recent) - PatagioenasPatagioenasPatagioenas is a genus of New World pigeons whose distinctness from the genus Columba was long disputed but ultimately confirmed. It is basal to the Columba-Streptopelia radiation. Their ancestors diverged from that lineage probably over 8 million years ago...
(Early Pliocene - Recent)
- Columba
Psittaciformes
Unresolved and basal fossil parrots:- PsittacopesPsittacopesPsittacopes is an extinct genus of parrot from Middle Eocene. One species is recorded from Messel, Germany , and other three possible unnamed species are from London Clay, England.-References:* Mayr, G. '. Springer, 2009....
(Early/middle Eocene) - Serudaptus - pseudasturid or psittacid?
- Pseudasturidae (= Halcyornithidae?)
- Pseudasturidae FU 125 gen. et sp. indet. (Early Eocene)
- Pseudasturides - formerly Pseudastur
- Vastanavidae
- Vastanavis (Early Eocene of Vastan, India)
- Quercypsittidae
- QuercypsittaQuercypsittaQuercypsittais a genus of prehistoric bird from the Late Eocene Quercy phosphorites in France.Known from rather fragmentary remains , it was described as a parrot sufficiently distinct to be included in its own family, the Quercypsittidae...
(Late Eocene)
- Quercypsitta
- Cacatuidae
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- CacatuaCacatuaCacatua is a genus of cockatoos found from the Philippines and Wallacea east to the Solomon Islands and south to Australia. They have a primarily white plumage , an expressive crest, and a black or pale bill...
(Early Miocene - Recent)
- Cacatua
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Psittacidae - Parrots, parakeets and lories
- ArchaeopsittacusArchaeopsittacusArchaeopsittacus is a genus of prehistoric parrot. It is known from deposits of either Late Oligocene or Early Miocene age at Verreaux near Saint-Gérand-le-Puy, France...
(Late Oligocene/Early Miocene) - Xenopsitta (Early Miocene)
- Psittacidae gen. et spp. indet. (Early/Middle Miocene) - several species
- Bavaripsitta (Middle Miocene)
- Psittacidae gen. et sp. indet. (Middle Miocene) - erroneously placed in Pararallus dispar, includes "Psittacus lartetianus
- Extant and recently extinct genera present in the fossil record
- Conuropsis (Early? Miocene - Holocene)
- Nandayus (Late Pliocene - Recent)
- Cyanoliseus (Middle Pleistocene - Recent)
- AratingaAratingaAratinga is a genus of American parakeets. They belong to the long-tailed group and are among the genera often called conures in aviculture. Most are predominantly green, although a few are predominantly yellow or orange. They are social and commonly seen in groups in the wild...
(Late Pleistocene - Recent) - Rhynchopsitta (Late Pleistocene - Recent)
- Archaeopsittacus
Opisthocomiformes
Hoatzins- OpisthocomidaeOpisthocomidaeOpisthocomidae is a group of birds, the only named family within the order Opisthocomiformes. The only living representative is the Hoatzin Opisthocomus hoazin, which lives in the Amazon and the Orinoco delta in South America. Several fossil species have been identified, including one from Africa....
- NamibiavisNamibiavisNamibiavis is an extinct genus of early hoatzin from early Middle Miocene deposits of Namibia. It was collected from Arrisdrift, southern Namibia. It was first named by Cécile Mourer-Chauviré in 2003 and the type species is Namibiavis senutae....
(Late Oligocene) - HoazinavisHoazinavisHoazinavis is an extinct genus of early hoatzin from Late Oligocene and Early Miocene deposits of Brazil. It was collected in 2008 from the Tremembé Formation of São Paulo, Brazil. It was first named by Gerald Mayr, Herculano Alvarenga and Cécile Mourer-Chauviré in 2011 and the type species is...
(Miocene) - HoazinoidesHoazinoidesHoazinoides is an extinct genus of bird from the middle Miocene from the"Monkey Beds" of the Villavieja Formation of La Venta, Colombia. It is a member of the family Opisthocomidae, which also includes the hoatzin and several other extinct genera. The only known species is Hoazinoides magdalenae...
(Late Miocene) - Hoatzi - may be same as Foro
- Namibiavis
CuculiformesCuculiformesThe near passerine bird order Cuculiformes traditionally included three families as below:* Musophagidae - turacos and allies* Cuculidae - cuckoos, coucals, roadrunners and anis* Opisthocomidae - Hoatzin...
Cuckoos, turacos and allies.
- Placement unresolved
- Cuculiformes gen. et sp. indet. (Early Eocene)
- Musophagidae - Turacos
- Veflintornis (Middle Miocene) - formerly Apopempsis
- Placement unresolved
- Musophagidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Oligocene - Middle Miocene of WC Europe)
- "Apopempsis africanus (Early Miocene) - formerly Musophaga, might belong in Veflintornis
- Musophagidae gen. et sp. indet. (Egypt)
- Cuculidae - Cuckoos
- Eocuculus (Late Eocene)
- Dynamopterus (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene)
- Neococcyx (Early Oligocene)
- Cursoricoccyx (Early Miocene)
- Placement unresolved
- Cuculidae gen. et sp. indet. (Early Pliocene)
FalconiformesFalconiformesThe order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...
Birds of prey. Possibly polyphyletic or paraphyletic.
- Unresolved and basal forms
- MasillaraptorMasillaraptorMasillaraptor is an extinct genus of basal falconiform from the Middle Eocene, a long-legged relative of the living falcons. Classifying the Falconiformes is confusing, since Europe has placed the families into two orders .- Etymology :Masillaraptor comes from the Latin word masilla, which is the...
(middle Eocene of Messel, Germany) – basal?
- Masillaraptor
- HorusornithidaeHorusornithidaeThe Horusornithidae are a prehistoric family of birds of prey. They are part of the Falconiformes. Their name means "Horus-birds": the Egyptian god Horus was sometimes depicted as a falcon....
- Horusornis (Late Eocene)
- Pandionidae – Ospreys
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- PandionPandionPandion may refer to:* Pandion I and Pandion II, two kings of Athens in Greek mythology* Pandion son of Phineas in Greek mythology* Pandion, a son of Aegyptus, husband and victim of Callidice, daughter of Danaus, in Greek mythology...
(Early Oligocene – Recent)
- Pandion
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Sagittariidae – Secretarybirds
- Pelargopappus (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene – Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of France) – formerly Amphiserpentarius/Amynoptilon/Pelargopsis
- AccipitridaeAccipitridaeThe Accipitridae, one of the two major families within the order Accipitriformes , are a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-sized mammals, with a number feeding on carrion and a...
– Hawks, eagles and Old World vultures- Milvoides (Late Eocene)
- Aquilavus (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene – Early Miocene)
- Palaeocircus (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene)
- Palaeastur (Early Miocene)
- PenganaPenganaThe Flexiraptor is an extinct species of bird of prey – the only one of its genus known to date – probably related to harriers. It probably resembled a cross between the Secretary Bird and Crested Caracara, and lived during the Early Miocene .Its remains were found in Riversleigh ,...
(Early Miocene) - Promilio (Early Miocene)
- Proictinia (Early – Late Miocene/Early Pliocene)
- Neophrontops (Early/middle Miocene – Late Pleistocene) – formerly in NeophronNeophronNeophron of Sicyon was one of the most prolific of the ancient Greek dramatists, to whom are accredited one hundred and twenty pieces, of which only a few fragments of his Medea remain. This, it is said, Euripides used in his tragedy which bears the same title, although modern scholarship is...
- Mioaegypius (middle Miocene)
- ApatosagittariusApatosagittariusApatosagittarius is an extinct monotypic genus of Accipitridae from the Late Miocene of Nebraska. Only one species has been described, Apatosagittarius terrenus.-Reference:...
(Late Miocene) - Gansugyps (Late Miocene)
- Palaeoborus (Miocene)
- Qiluornis (Miocene)
- Thegornis (Miocene)
- Garganoaetus (Early Pliocene)
- AmplibuteoAmplibuteoAmplibuteo is an extinct genus of birds of prey, belonging the family Accipitridae....
(Late Pliocene of Peru – Late Pleistocene) – may belong to extant genus HarpyhaliaetusHarpyhaliaetusHarpyhaliaetus is a genus of eagles. Recent studies have shown that the Solitary Eagle is closely related to the black-hawks, in particular the Savanna Hawk which is smaller and browner but otherwise very similar to "Harpyhaliaetus"...
(or Buteogallus) - Neogyps
- Palaeohierax – includes "Aquila" gervaisii
- Wetmoregyps – formerly Morphnus daggetti
- Placement unresolved
- Accipitridae gen. et sp. indet. AMNH FR 7434 (Early Eocene)
- Accipitridae gen. et sp. indet. (Early Oligocene)
- Accipitridae gen. et sp. indet. (Early/Middle Miocene)
- Accipitridae gen. et sp. indet. MPEF-PV-2523 (Late Miocene)
- Accipitridae gen. et sp. indet. (Early/Middle Pliocene) – Parabuteo?
- Accipitridae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene) – Buteo?
- Accipitridae gen. et sp. indet. (Egypt)
- "Aquila" danana (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene) – formerly also Geranoaetus or Buteo
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Haliaeetus (Early Oligocene – Recent)
- ButeoButeoButeo is a genus of medium to fairly large, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings. In the Old World, members of this genus are called "buzzards", but "hawk" is used in North America...
(middle Oligocene – Recent) - AquilaAquila (genus)Aquila is the genus of true eagles. It is often united with the buteos, sea eagles and other more heavyset Accipitridae, but more recently it appears as if they are less distinct from the more slender accipitrine hawks than believed...
(Middle Miocene – Recent)- Aquila bullockensisAquila bullockensisAquila bullockensis is an extinct species of large true eagles in the Accipitridae family. A. bullockensis is related to the living species A. audax to which it might be ancestral. The species is solely known from the distal end of a right humerus found in the Middle Miocene , Bullock Creek...
(Middle Miocene, Bullock CreekBullock CreekThe Bullock Creek Fossil site is one of three known vertebrate fossil sites in the Australia's Northern Territory, along with the Alcoota Fossil Beds on Alcoota Station and the Kangaroo Well site on Deep Well Station. It is located about 550km south-southeast of Darwin, on Camfield Station...
, Australia)
- Aquila bullockensis
- ButeogallusButeogallusButeogallus is a genus of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. All members of this genus are essentially Neotropical, but the distribution of a single species extends slightly into extreme southern USA. Most are known as black-hawks or mangrove-hawks...
(Middle Miocene – Recent) – might include Harpyhaliaetus - "HieraaetusHieraaetusThe genus Hieraaetus, sometimes known as hawk-eagles, denoted a group of smallish eagles usually placed in the Buteoninae subfamily of accipitrids....
" (Middle Miocene – Recent) – doubtfully distinct from Aquila - MilvusMilvusMilvus is a genus of medium-sized birds of prey. It is an Old World group consisting of three kites which form part of the subfamily Milvinae...
(Early Pleistocene – Recent) - GypsGypsThe Gyps vultures are a genus of Old World vultures in the bird family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks....
(Middle Pleistocene – Recent) - Aegypius (Late Pleistocene – Recent)
- Additional prehistoric species of extant genera
- Spizaetus grinnelli (Rancho La Brea Late Pleistocene of California, USA) – formerly Geranoaetus or Buteo
- Spizaetus pliogryps – formerly Aquila
- FalconidaeFalconidaeThe falcons and caracaras are around 60 species of diurnal birds of prey that make up the family Falconidae. The family is divided into two subfamiles, Polyborinae, which includes the caracaras and forest falcons, and Falconinae, the falcons, kestrels and falconets.-Description:Falcons and...
– Falcons- Parvulivenator (Early Eocene)
- Stintonornis (Early Eocene)
- Badiostes (Early Miocene)
- Pediohierax (Middle Miocene) – formerly Falco ramenta
- Placement unresolved
- Falconidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Miocene)
- "Sushkinia" pliocaena (Early Pliocene) – belongs into Falco?
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- FalcoFalconA falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
(Late Miocene? – Recent) - MilvagoMilvagoMilvago is a genus of bird of prey in the Falconidae family.It contains the following species:* Yellow-headed Caracara, Milvago chimachima* Chimango Caracara, Milvago chimango...
(Late Pleistocene -–Recent) - CaracaraCaracara (genus)Caracara is a genus of birds of prey in the family Falconidae found throughout a large part of the Americas. They are part of a group collectively referred to as caracaras...
(Late Pleistocene – Recent) – formerly Polyborus
- Falco
CaprimulgiformesCaprimulgiformesThe Caprimulgiformes is an order of birds that includes a number of birds with global distribution . They are generally insectivorous and nocturnal...
Nightjars, potoos and allies. Apparently paraphyletic.
- Placement unresolved
- Paraprefica (Early Eocene?) - Steatornithidae or Nyctibiidae
- Steatornithidae - Oilbirds
- Prefica
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- Steatornis sp.
- Podargidae - Frogmouths
- Masillapodargus
- Quercypodargus
- Nyctibiidae - Potoos
- Euronyctibius
- Caprimulgidae - Nightjars
- Ventivorus
Aegotheliformes
Owlet-nightjars- Aegothelidae
- Quipollornis (Early/Middle Miocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Aegotheles (Early/Middle Miocene - Recent)
ApodiformesApodiformesTraditionally, the bird order Apodiformes contained three living families: the swifts , the tree swifts , and the hummingbirds . In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, this order is raised to a superorder Apodimorphae in which hummingbirds are separated as a new order, Trochiliformes...
Swifts and hummingbirds.
- Basal and unresolved forms
- PrimapusPrimapusPrimapus is an extinct genus of apodiform bird from the Early Eocene of the United Kingdom. Its fossils were found in the London Clay, which was deposited around 50 million years ago. The type species is P. lacki.-Sources:...
(Early Eocene) - aegialornithid or apodid - Parargornis (middle Eocene) - jungornithid, trochilid, basal as Argornis?
- Argornis (Late Eocene) - basal to Jungornithidae and Trochilidae
- Cypselavus (Late Eocene - Early Oligocene) - aegialornithid or hemiprocnid
- Primapus
- Aegialornithidae
- AegialornisAegialornisAegialornisis a genus of prehistoric apodiform bird. It formed a distinct family Aegialornithidae and was in some ways intermediate between modern swifts and owlet-nightjars, lacking the more extreme adaptations to an aerial lifestyle that swifts show today, but already having sickle-shaped wings...
(Early? - Late Eocene)
- Aegialornis
- Jungornithidae
- Jungornis (Early Oligocene of N Caucasus, Russia)
- Palescyvus
- Laputavis
- Trochilidae - Hummingbirds
- EurotrochilusEurotrochilusEurotrochilus is an extinct genus of primitive hummingbird. Its fossils come from the Rupelian stage of the early Oligocene of Germany, Poland and France.-Sources:*http://www.springerlink.com/index/3753080U72147545.pdf...
(Early Oligocene) - Placement unresolved
- Trochilidae sp. et gen. indet. (Bahamas, West Indies)
- Trochilidae sp. et gen. indet. (Brazil)
- Eurotrochilus
- Apodidae - Swifts
- Scaniacypselus (Early - middle Eocene)
- Procypseloides (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene - Early Miocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- CollocaliaCollocaliaCollocalia is a genus of swifts, containing some of the smaller species termed "swiftlets". Formerly a catch-all genus for these, a number of its erstwhile members are now normally placed in Aerodramus....
(Early Miocene - Recent) - ApusApus (genus)The bird genus Apus comprise some of the Old World members of the family Apodidae, commonly known as swifts.They are among the fastest birds in the world. They resemble swallows, to which they are not related, but have shorter tails and sickle-shaped wings...
(Middle/Late Miocene - Recent) - ChaeturaChaeturaChaetura is a genus of needletail swifts found in the Americas in modern times. They resemble in general appearance and are commonly confused with swallows but they are not at all closely related to these...
(Late Miocene - Recent) - TachornisTachornisTachornis is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family.It contains the following species:* Pygmy Palm Swift * Neotropical Palm Swift * Antillean Palm Swift...
(Late Pleistocene - Recent)
- Collocalia
Coliiformes
Mousebirds and relatives- Unresolved and basal forms
- Chascacocolius (Late Paleocene? - middle Eocene) - basal? sandcoleid?
- Eocolius (Early Eocene) - sandcoleid or coliid
- Selmes (middle Eocene? - Late Oligocene) - coliid?, possibly synonym of Primocolius
- Limnatornis (Early Miocene) - coliid? (UrocoliusUrocoliusUrocolius 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...
?) Includes "Picus" consobrinus - Picus archiaci (Early Miocene) - Limnatornis? coliid? (Urocolius?)
- Necrornis (Middle Miocene) - coliid? (ColiusColiusColius is a bird genus in the family Coliidae. It contains the following species:* Speckled Mousebird, Colius striatus* White-headed Mousebird, Colius leucocephalus* Red-backed Mousebird, Colius castanotus...
?) - Coliiformes gen. et sp. indet. (Late Miocene) - coliid? (ColiusColiusColius is a bird genus in the family Coliidae. It contains the following species:* Speckled Mousebird, Colius striatus* White-headed Mousebird, Colius leucocephalus* Red-backed Mousebird, Colius castanotus...
, Urocolius?) - Eobucco - sandcoleid?
- Uintornis - sandcoleid?
- †Sandcoleidae
- Sandcoleus (Paleocene)
- Anneavis
- Eoglaucidium
- Coliidae - Mousebirds
- Primocolius (Late Eocene/Oligocene)
- Oligocolius (Early Oligocene)
- Masillacolius (middle Eocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- ColiusColiusColius is a bird genus in the family Coliidae. It contains the following species:* Speckled Mousebird, Colius striatus* White-headed Mousebird, Colius leucocephalus* Red-backed Mousebird, Colius castanotus...
(Miocene? - Recent)
- Colius
Strigiformes
Owls and barn owls- Unresolved and basal forms
- BerruornisBerruornisBerruornis orbisantiqui was an early fossil owl or owl-like bird recovered from late Paleocene deposits in the region of Reims in northeastern France. It was about the size of a Eurasian Eagle-owl ....
(Late Paleocene) - basal? Sophornithidae? - Strigiformes gen. et sp. indet. (Late Paleocene)
- PalaeoglauxPalaeoglauxPalaeoglaux is a genus of fossil owl from the Eocene epoch. There are two known species, P. perrierensis from the Upper Eocene of Quercy, France and P. artophoron from the Middle Eocene Messel shales, Germany. The holotype of P. perrierensis is a partial left coracoid in the Collection Université...
(middle - Late Eocene) - own family Palaeoglaucidae or Strigidae? - Palaeobyas (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene) - Tytonidae? Sophiornithidae?
- Palaeotyto (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene) - Tytonidae?
- Strigiformes gen. et spp. indet. (Early Oligocene)
- Berruornis
- Ogygoptyngidae
- OgygoptynxOgygoptynxOgygoptynx is an extinct genus of owl from the Paleocene.-References:*Rich, Patricia Vickers & David J. Bohaska, 1981. The Ogygoptyngidae, a New Family of Owls from the Paleocene of North America. Alcheringa 5: 95-102....
(Middle/Late Paleocene)
- Ogygoptynx
- Protostrigidae
- EostrixEostrixEostrix is an extinct genus of the family Protostrigidae from early Eocene of Wyoming and the London Clay of England. It was erected by Pierce Brodkorb in 1971 to place a fossil species known until that time as Protostrix mimica....
(Early - middle Eocene) - Minerva (middle - Late Eocene) - formerly Protostrix, includes "Aquila" ferox, "Aquila" lydekkeri, and "Bubo" leptosteus
- Oligostrix (middle Oligocene)
- Eostrix
- SophiornithidaeSophiornithidaeSophiornithidae , was a family of chicken-sized predatory birds that lived from the Paleocene to the Eocene periods of the Cenozoic, and were found primarily in Europe, and are thought to be primitive owls...
- Sophiornis
- Strigidae - Typical owls
- Mioglaux (Late Oligocene? - Early Miocene) - includes "Bubo" poirreiri
- Intutula (Early/Middle -? Late Miocene) - includes "Strix/Ninox" brevis
- OraristrixOraristrixOraristix brea, the Brea Owl, is the an extinct owl reported from the upper Pleistocene asphalt deposits of Rancho La Brea, Los Angeles, California. It was first described in 1933 by Hildegarde Howard as Strix brea, but this extinct owl was recently placed into its own genus by Campbell and Bocheński...
(Late Pleistocene) - Alasio (Middle Miocene) - includes "Strix" collongensis
- Placement unresolved
- "Otus wintershofensis (Early/Middle Miocene) - may be close to extant genus Ninox
- Strix edwardsi (Late Miocene)
- Asio pygmaeus (Early Pliocene)
- Strigidae gen. et sp. indet. UMMP V31030 (Late Pliocene) - Strix/Bubo?
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- StrixStrix (genus)Strix is a genus of owls. They belong to the typical owl family Strigidae, one of the two generally accepted living families of owls, with the other being the barn-owls . Common names are earless owls or wood owls though they are not the only owls without ear tufts, and "wood owl" is also used as a...
(Early Miocene - Recent) - Bubo (Late Miocene? - Recent)
- AsioAsioAsio is a genus of typical owls, or true owls, in family Strigidae. The genus Asio contains the eared owls, which are characterised by feather tufts on the head which have the appearance of ears...
(Late Pliocene - Recent) - AtheneAthene (owl)Athene is a genus of owls, containing two to four living species, depending on classification. These birds are small, with brown and white speckles, yellow eyes, and white eyebrows...
(Late Pliocene - Recent) - Glaucidium (Late Pliocene - Recent)
- Surnia (Late Pliocene - Recent)
- PulsatrixPulsatrixPulsatrix is a genus of owl in the Strigidae family. They are called spectacled owls because of their prominent facial pattern.It contains the following species:* Spectacled Owl, Pulsatrix perspicillata...
(Late Pleistocene - Recent)
- Strix
- TytonidaeTytonidaeBarn-owls are one of the two families of owls, the other being the true owls, Strigidae. They are medium to large sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons...
- Barn owls- Necrobyas (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene - Early Miocene)
- Prosybris (Early Oligocene? - Early Miocene)
- Nocturnavis
- Selenornis
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- TytoTytoThe genus Tyto includes all barn owls except for the bay owls - that is, the true barn owls, the grass owls and the masked owls collectively making up the subfamily Tytoninae...
(Late Miocene - Recent)
- Tyto
CoraciiformesCoraciiformesThe Coraciiformes are a group of usually colorful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills...
Rollers and allies. Probably paraphyletic.
- Basal and unresolved forms
- Quasisyndactylus (middle Eocene) – alcediniform, basal?
- Cryptornis (Late Eocene) – bucerotid? geranopterid?
- Coraciiformes gen. et spp. indet. PQ 1216, QU 15640 (Late Eocene) – 2 species
- Protornis (Oligocene) – basal to motmotids and meropids?
- Geranopteridae
- GeranopterusGeranopterusGeranopterus is an extinct genus of Eocoraciidae that lived during the late Eocene to early Miocene in Europe.-Sources:* The Origin and Evolution of Birds by Alan Feduccia...
(Late Eocene – Early Miocene) – includes "Nupharanassa" bohemica
- Geranopterus
- Eocoraciidae
- Eocoracias (middle Eocene)
- Primobucconidae
- Primobucco (Early – middle Eocene)
- Todidae – Todies
- Palaeotodus (Late Eocene of France - Early Oligocene of WC Europe and Wyoming)
- Motmotidae – Motmots
- Placement unresolved
- Momotidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Miocene)
- Placement unresolved
- Messelirrisoridae
- MesselirrisorMesselirrisorThe extinct Messelirrisoridae are a family of Coraciiformes. Tiny hoopoe-like birds, they were among the predominant small forest birds of Central Europe during the Middle Eocene ....
(middle Eocene)
- Messelirrisor
- Bucerotidae – Hornbills
- Euroceros (Late Miocene of Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Bucorvus
Trogoniformes
- Trogonidae - Trogons
- Septentrogon (Fur Late Paleocene/Early Eocene of Ejerslev, Denmark)
- Primotrogon (middle Eocene of Messel, Germany? - Early Oligocene of France)
- Paratrogon (Early Miocene of France)
- Placement unresolved
- Trogonidae gen. et sp. indet. 1 (NW Europe)
- Trogonidae gen. et sp. indet. 2 (NW Europe)
PiciformesPiciformesNine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes, the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives...
- Placement unresolved
- Piciformes gen. et sp. indet. IRScNB Av 65 (Early Oligocene)
- RupelramphastoidesRupelramphastoidesRupelramphastoides is an extinxt genus of piciform from the Lower Oligocene of Central Europe . Only one species are recorded for genus, Rupelramphastoides knopfi, and it is classified "family incertae sedis", pending discovery of additional specimens....
(Early Oligocene) - ramphastid? - Piciformes gen. et sp. indet. SMF Av 429 (Late Oligocene)
- CapitonidesCapitonidesCapitonides is an extinct genus of piciform from the Middle Miocene of southern Germany. Only one species are recorded for genus, Capitonites europaeus.. Carroll assigned the genus to family Capitonidae....
(Early - Middle Miocene) - ramphastid? "capitonid" (Lybiidae, Megalaimidae)? own family Capitonididae? - Pici gen. et sp. indet. (Middle Miocene) - "capitonid" (Lybiidae, Megalaimidae?)
- Miopiconidae
- Miopico
- LybiidaeLybiidaeThe Lybiidae is a bird family containing the African barbets. They were usually united with their American and Asian relatives in the Capitonidae for quite some time, but this has been confirmed to be limited to the main American lineage. There are 42 species ranging from the type genus Lybius of...
- African barbets- Lybiidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Miocene) - extant genus Pogoniulus?
- Galbulidae
- Galbula hylochoreutesGalbula hylochoreutesGalbula hylochoreutes is an extinct species of jacamar, small birds of the order of Coraciiformes. It was discovered in the geological formation La Victoria, in the fossil deposit at La Venta in modern Colombia, in deposits dating from the mid-Miocene period , described from one end of right humerus...
(Middle Miocene)
- Galbula hylochoreutes
- PicidaePicidaeThe woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of near-passerine birds. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia and New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions...
- Woodpeckers- Palaeopicus (Late Oligocene)
- Palaeonerpes (Early Pliocene)
- Pliopicus (Early Pliocene)
- Placement unresolved
- Picidae gen. et sp. indet. (Middle Miocene)
- Picidae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Miocene)
- cf. ColaptesColaptesColaptes is the genus of woodpeckers which contains the flickers. The scientific name means "the pecker", Latinized from the Greek verb kolápto , "to peck"....
DMNH 1262 (Early Pliocene of Ainsworth, USA)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- CampephilusCampephilusCampephilus is a genus of large American woodpeckers in the family Picidae.This genus was created by George Robert Gray, who suggested taking Campephilus principalis as the type for the genus. The name Campephilus means "lover of grubs" - an allusion to the diet of these birds, many of which feed...
(Late Pleistocene - Recent) - ColaptesColaptesColaptes is the genus of woodpeckers which contains the flickers. The scientific name means "the pecker", Latinized from the Greek verb kolápto , "to peck"....
- DendrocoposDendrocoposDendrocopos is a widespread genus of woodpeckers from Asia and Europe and Northern Africa. They range from the Philippines to the British Isles.-Species:* Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Dendrocopos temminckii...
- Additional prehistoric subspecies of extant species
- Melanerpes superciliarisWest Indian WoodpeckerThe West Indian Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Cuba....
ssp. (Little Exuma, Bahamas) - Melanerpes superciliarisWest Indian WoodpeckerThe West Indian Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Cuba....
ssp. (New Providence, Bahamas)
- Melanerpes superciliaris
- Campephilus
Passeriformes
- Placement unresolved
- Passeriformes gen. et spp. indet. (Early Eocene) – several species, oscine?
- Wieslochia (Early Oligocene)
- Passeriformes gen. et spp. indet. (Late Oligocene) – several suboscine and oscine species
- Certhiops (Early Miocene of Germany) – basal Certhioidea
- Passeriformes gen. et sp. indet. (Early/Middle Miocene) – suboscine?
- Passeriformes gen. et spp. indet. (Early/Middle Miocene) – several species, oscine?
- Passeriformes gen. et spp. indet. (Middle Miocene) – several species, basal?
- Passeriformes gen. et spp. indet. (Middle Miocene) – several species, oscine?
- Passeriformes gen. et spp. indet. (Late Miocene) – SylvioideaSylvioideaSylvioidea is a superfamily of passerine birds. It is one of at least three major clades within the Passerida along with the Muscicapoidea and Passeroidea. It contains about 1300 species including the Old World warblers, Old World babblers, swallows, larks, bulbuls and perhaps the tits...
- "Palaeostruthus"eurius (Pliocene)
- Eurylaimidae – broadbills
- Placement unresolved
- Eurylaimidae gen. et sp. indet. (Early Miocene)
- Placement unresolved
- Palaeoscinidae
- Paleoscinis (Late Miocene)
- Furnariidae – ovenbirds
- Pseudoseisuropsis
- Pseudoseisuropsis nehuen (Early/Middle Pleistocene of Argentina)
- Pseudoseisuropsis cuelloi (Late Pleistocene of Uruguay)
- Prehistoric species of extant genera
- Pseudoseisura cursor (Ensenada Early/Middle Pleistocene of Anchorena, Argentina)
- Cinclodes major (Middle Pleistocene of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina)
- Pseudoseisuropsis
- Menuridae – lyretails
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Menura (Early Miocene - Recent)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Meliphagidae – honeyeaters
- Placement unresolved
- Meliphagidae gen. et spp. indet. (Middle/Late Miocene - Pliocene of Riversleigh, Australia) – at least 7 spp., some may be from extant genera
- Placement unresolved
- OrthonychidaeOrthonychidaeThe Orthonychidae is a family of birds with a single genus, Orthonyx, which comprises three species of passerine birds endemic to Australia and New Guinea, the Logrunners and the Chowchilla. Some authorities consider the Australian family Cinclosomatidae to be part of the Orthonychidae...
– logrunners- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Orthonyx (Middle/Late Miocene - Recent)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Oriolidae – Old World orioles
- Longimornis (Early Miocene of Riversleigh, Australia)
- ArtamidaeArtamidaeThe family Artamidae gathers together 20 species of mostly crow-like birds native to Australasia and nearby areas.There are two subfamilies: Artaminae, the woodswallows, are sombre-coloured, soft-plumaged birds that have a brush-tipped tongue but seldom use it for gathering nectar. Instead, they...
– woodswallows, butcherbirds, currawongs and Australian Magpie- Placement unresolved
- Artamidae gen. et sp. indet. (Early/Middle Miocene) – cracticine
- Placement unresolved
- CorvidaeCorvidaeCorvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers. The common English names used are corvids or the crow family , and there are over 120 species...
– crows, ravens, jays and magpies- Miocorvus (Middle Miocene)
- Miopica (Middle Miocene)
- Miocitta (Late Miocene)
- Protocitta (Early Pleistocene)
- Henocitta (Middle Pleistocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Corvus (Late Miocene - Recent)
- PicaPica (genus)Pica is the genus of two to four species of birds in the family Corvidae in both the New World and the old. They have long tails and have predominantly black and white markings. One species ranges widely from Europe through Asia, one occurs all over North America and the third is restricted to...
(Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene - Recent) - Pyrrhocorax
- Placement unresolved
- Corvidae gen. et sp. indet. (Early Pliocene)
- Corvidae gen. et sp. indet. (Early/Middle Pleistocene) – probably belongs in extant genus
- Laniidae – shrikes
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- LaniusLaniusLanius, the typical shrikes, are a genus of passerine birds in the shrike family. The majority of the family's species are placed in this genus. African species are known as fiscals...
(Early Miocene - Recent)
- Lanius
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Regulidae – kinglets
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Regulus (Late Pliocene - Recent)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Hirundinidae – swallows and martins
- Placement unresolved
- Hirundinidae gen. et spp. indet. (Early Pliocene of Langebaanweg, South Africa) – 2 species
- Placement unresolved
- MegaluridaeMegaluridaeLocustellidae is a newly recognized family of small insectivorous songbirds , formerly placed in the Old World warbler "wastebin" family. It contains the grass-warblers, grassbirds, and the Bradypterus "bush-warblers". These birds occur mainly in Eurasia, Africa, and the Australian region...
– grass-warblers and allies- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- ?Locustella (Late Miocene - Recent)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- AcrocephalidaeAcrocephalidaeAcrocephalidae is a family of oscine passerine birds, in the superfamily Sylvioidea....
– marsh- and tree-warblers- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- ?AcrocephalusAcrocephalusThe Acrocephalus warblers are small, insectivorous passerine birds belonging to the genus Acrocephalus. Formerly in the paraphyletic Old World warbler assemblage, they are now separated as the namesake of the marsh- and tree-warbler family Acrocephalidae...
(Late Miocene - Recent)
- ?Acrocephalus
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Muscicapidae – Old World flycatchers and chats
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- LusciniaLusciniaLuscinia is a genus of smallish passerine birds, containing the nightingales and relatives. Formerly classed as members of the thrush family Turdidae, they are now considered to be Old World flycatchers of the chat subfamily...
(Late Miocene - Recent)
- Luscinia
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Turdidae – thrushes
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- ?Turdus (Middle? Miocene - Recent)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- MotacillidaeMotacillidaeThe Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. There are around 65 species in 6 genera and they include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. The longclaws are entirely restricted to the Afrotropics, and the wagtails are predominately found in Europe, Africa and...
– wagtails- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Motacilla
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Fringillidae – finches
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Loxia (Late Pliocene - Recent)
- Additional prehistoric species of extant genera
- Coccothraustes simeonovi (Late Pliocene of Varshets, Bulgaria)
- Coccothraustes balcanicus
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- Icteridae – grackles and New World orioles
- PandanarisPandanarisPandanaris convexa is an extinct cowbird genus described in 1947 by Alden H. Miller.-Physiology:The Pandanaris convexa has an upper mandible similar to that of the Tangavius and Molothrus cowbird genii , though its narial opening is approximately 30% larger...
(Pleistocene) - Pyelorhamphus (Pleistocene)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- EuphagusEuphagusEuphagus is a small genus of New World blackbirds. It contains two North American species, the Brewer's Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus, and the Rusty Blackbird E. carolinus...
(Late Pleistocene - Recent)
- Euphagus
- Pandanaris
- Cardinalidae – cardinals
- Placement unresolved
- Passerina sp. (Early Pliocene of Yepómera, Mexico)
- Placement unresolved
- EmberizidaeEmberizidaeThe Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...
– buntings and New World sparrows- Pampaemberiza (Middle Pleistocene of Necochea, Argentina)
- Extant genera present in the fossil record
- AmmodramusAmmodramusThe genus Ammodramus is a group of American sparrows in the family Emberizidae. Ammodramus is Latin for "Sand Runner." Typical of these thick grass and ground loving sparrows....
(Late Miocene - Recent) – including Palaeostruthus
- Ammodramus
- Additional prehistoric species of extant genera
- Pipilo angelensis (Pleistocene of Rancho La Brea, USA)
Avians incertae sedisIncertae sedis , is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
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...
level are known. In contrast, the taxa here have a hypodigm that is usually just sufficient for giving them a valid scientific name, but not for phylogenetic purposes beyond classing them as pygostylians or more modern birds. Some, however, are known from such fragmentary remains that the possibility that they are non-avian "reptiles" such as dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s cannot be ruled out at present.
- †Aberratiodontus (Early Cretaceous) - enantiornithine? (own family?) Same as Yanornis?
- †DalingheornisDalingheornisDalingheornis is a genus of enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Early Cretaceous about 122Ma ago and is known from a single juvenile fossil found in the upper part of the Yixian Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China...
(Early Cretaceous) - enantiornithine? - †Gallornis (Early -? Late Cretaceous) - neornithine? (neognath?)
- †Holbotia (Early Cretaceous of Andaikhudag, Mongolia) - basal pygostylian?
- †"JibeiniaJibeiniaJibeinia is a Genus of enantiornithine bird. Only one species is known, Jibeinia luanhera. It is known from one holotype fossil found in the Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. This fossil is now lost...
" (Early Cretaceous) - euenantiornithine? A nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application... - †NanantiusNanantiusNanantius eosis the name of an Early Cretaceous species of bird. It is the only described member of the genus Nanantius at present; the supposed second species Nanantius valifanovi has turned out to be a synonym of Gobipteryx minuta. N...
(Early Cretaceous) - enantiornithine? - †Otogornis (Yijinhuoluo Early Cretaceous of Yike Zhaomeng, China) - basal pygostylian? enantiornithine (cathayornithid)?
- †ParahongshanornisParahongshanornisParahongshanornis is an extinct genus of early bird from the lower Cretaceous of what is now Liaoning Province, north-eastern China....
(Early Cretaceous) - hongshanornithid? ornithurine? - †ParaprotopteryxParaprotopteryxParaprotopteryx is a genus of enantiornithine bird. Though initially reported to be from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation, later investigation showed the fossil actually came from the Qiaotou member of the Huajiying Formation of Fengning, Hebei Province, China, and is therefore of uncertain age...
(Early Cretaceous of China) - enantiornithine? - †ProtopteryxProtopteryxProtopteryx is an extinct genus of bird, perhaps an enantiornithine, from the Cretaceous in China. The type species is P. fengningensis...
(Early Cretaceous of China) - enantiornithine? - †WyleyiaWyleyiaWyleyia is a prehistoric bird genus with a single species, Wyleyia valdensis, known from the Early Cretaceous of England. Even this is only known from a single damaged right humerus. It has been named to honor J. F. Wyley, who found the specimen in the Weald Clay deposits of Henfield in Sussex...
(Early Cretaceous) - basal enantiornithine? neornithine (paleognath)? - †ZhongornisZhongornisZhongornis is a genus of primitive birds that lived during the Early Cretaceous. It was found in rocks of the Yixian Formation in Lingyuan City , and described by Gao et al. in 2008....
(Early Cretaceous) - basal avian or juvenile confuciusornithid? - †Aves gen. et sp. indet. Sahat Sakhan Dinosaur Research Centre collection, unnumbered (Sao Khua Early Cretaceous of Khok Kong, Thailand) - ornithurine?
- † Maniraptora gen. et sp. indet. IVPP V11309 (Yixian Early Cretaceous of Jianshangou, China) - basal pygostylian? therizinosaur (close to Beipiaosaurus?)?
- †Aves? gen. et sp. indet. NMC 50852 (Early/Late Cretaceous of Kem Kem region, Morocco) - avian? dromaeosaurid (close to Rahonavis)?
- †AlamitornisAlamitornisAlamitornis is an extinct genus of basal ornithuromorph bird, possible within the family Patagopterygidae. Remains have been found from the Upper Cretaceous Los Alamitos Formation in Río Negro Province, Argentina. It was first named by Federico L. Agnolin and Agustín G. Martinelli in 2009 and the...
(Los Alamitos Formation Late Cretaceous of Los Alamitos, Argentina) - pygostylian (related to Patagopteryx)? - †ApatornisApatornisApatornis is a prehistoric terrestrial bird genus endemic to North America during the Late Cretaceous living about 83.5 mya. It is known from a single fossil specimen: a synsacrum, the fused series of vertebrae over the hips.-Taxonomy:...
(Late Cretaceous) - neornithine (anseriform)? - †"Cerebavis" (Late Cretaceous) - enantiornithine? A nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
- †"ElopteryxElopteryxElopteryx is a genus of troodontid maniraptoran theropod dinosaur based on fragmentary fossils found in late Cretaceous Period rocks of Romania. These fossils date from the early-mid Maastrichtian faunal stage, c.71-68 million years ago...
" (Late Cretaceous) - pygostylian? non-avian dinosaur? A nomen dubiumNomen dubiumIn zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application... - †Euornithes gen. et sp. indet. (Bissekty Late Cretaceous of Kyzyl Kum, Uzbekistan)
- †GargantuavisGargantuavisGargantuavis was a genus of prehistoric bird, possibly related to Patagopteryx, containing thus far a single species, Gargantuavis philoinos. It lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now southern France, in the Marnes de la Maurine Formation dated to around 70 mya...
(Late Cretaceous) - pygostylian? (enantiornithine?) basal ornithurine? - †HulsanpesHulsanpesHulsanpes is the name given to a monotypic genus of theropods, sometimes considered a primitive bird. First described as a dromaeosaur, it lived during the Late Cretaceous. Its fossil remains were found in the Campanian Barun Goyot Formation at Khulsan, Ömnögovi Province, Mongolia...
(Late Cretaceous) - basal avian? non-avian dinosaur? - †IaceornisIaceornisIaceornis is a prehistoric marine bird genus endemic to North America during the Late Cretaceous living about 83.5 mya. It is known from a single fossil specimen consisting of a partial skeleton lacking a skull. Since it was first discovered by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1877, the specimen was long...
(Late Cretaceous of Gove County, USA) - neornithine or basal ornithurine - †Ornithurae gen. et sp. indet. IGM 100/1309 (Nemegt Late Cretaceous of Tsagaan Kushu, Mongolia) - presbyornithid?
- †Ornithurae gen. et sp. indet. IGM 100/1310 (Nemegt Late Cretaceous of Tsagaan Kushu, Mongolia) - basal?
- †Horezmavis (Bissekty Late Cretaceous of Kyzyl Kum, Uzbekistan) - enantiornithine (gobipterygiform?), basal ornithurine or gruiform
- †"Ichthyornis" minusculus (Bissekty Late Cretaceous of Kyzyl Kum, Uzbekistan) - enantiornithine?
- †cf. NanantiusNanantiusNanantius eosis the name of an Early Cretaceous species of bird. It is the only described member of the genus Nanantius at present; the supposed second species Nanantius valifanovi has turned out to be a synonym of Gobipteryx minuta. N...
(Bissekty Late Cretaceous of Kyzyl Kum, Uzbekistan) - enantiornithine? - †NeogaeornisNeogaeornisNeogaeornis is a controversial prehistoric genus of diving bird. The single known species, Neogaeornis wetzeli, was described from fossils found in the Campanian to Maastrichtian Quiriquina Formation of Chile. It lived about 70-67 million years ago...
(Late Cretaceous) - baptornithid or neornithine (gaviiform, procellariiform?) - †PatagopteryxPatagopteryxPatagopteryx is an extinct monotypic genus of birds that lived during the Late Cretaceous, around 80 mya, in what is now the Sierra Barrosa in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. About the size of a chicken, it is the earliest known unequivocal example of secondary flightlessness: its skeleton...
(Late Cretaceous) - pygostylian? (enantiornithine?) - †PiksiPiksiPiksi barbarulna is a prehistoric bird. It lived roughly 75 million years ago in what is now Montana, USA...
(Two Medicine Late Cretaceous of Montana) - ornithothoracine (perhaps distinct lineage), basal ornithurine or neornithine? - †Platanavis (Bissekty Late Cretaceous of Kyzyl Kum, Uzbekistan)
- †PotamornisPotamornisPotamornis is a prehistoric bird genus that dated back to the late Maastrichtian. Its scrappy remains were found in the Lance Formation at Buck Creek, USA, and a single species has been named and described in 2001: Potamornis skutchi....
(Late Cretaceous) - hesperornithid? baptornithid? enaliornithid? - †VoronaVoronaVorona is a monotypic genus of prehistoric birds. It was described from fossils found in a Maevarano Formation quarry near the village of Berivotra, Mahajanga Province, Madagascar. The age is Late Cretaceous, probably Campanian . V...
(Late Cretaceous) - enantiornithine? basal ornithuromorph? - †UCMP 143274 (Lance Creek Late Cretaceous of Niobrara County, USA) - psittaciform? non-avian?
- †PolarornisPolarornisPolarornis is a genus of prehistoric bird, possibly a loon. It contains a single species Polarornis gregorii known from incomplete remains of one individual found on Seymour Island, Antarctica, in rocks which are dated to the Late Cretaceous .The discovery of Polarornis gregorii was first announced...
(Late Cretaceous or Eocene) - gaviiform or pygostylian, may be synonym of Neogaeornis - †YandangornisYandangornisYandangornis is a genus of primitive bird from the Late Cretaceous. It lived 85 million years ago in what is now China. The type species, Y. longicaudus, was formally described by Cai and Zhou in 1999. The holotype specimen is in the collection of the Zhejiang Museum of natural History, with...
(Late Cretaceous) - basal avian? non-avian dinosaur? - †Guildavis (Cretaceous of Wallace County, USA) - neornithine or basal ornithurine
- †QinornisQinornisQinornis is a prehistoric bird genus endemic to China during the Paleocene epoch living about 61 mya. It is known from a single fossil specimen consisting of a partial hind limb and foot...
(Fangou Early/Middle Paleocene of Luonan County, China) - neornithine? - †"Cathayornis" aberransis
- †"Cathayornis" caudatus
- †Gobipipus
- †"Ichthyornis" maltshevskyi
- †Chaoyangiidae - pygostylian (ornithurine?), yanornithiform?
- ChaoyangiaChaoyangiaChaoyangia is an extinct ornithuran bird genus from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning, China. Only one species is described to date, Chaoyangia beishanensis....
(Jiufotang Early Cretaceous of Liaoning, China)
- Chaoyangia
- †HongshanornithidaeHongshanornithidaeHongshanornithidae is an extinct family of basal ornithuromorph birds from the Early Cretaceous of China. The family includes the genera Hongshanornis and Longicrusavis, from the Yixian Formation, in Inner Mongolia and Liaoning Province, respectively, and possibly Parahongshanornis from the...
- pygostylian? ornithurine?- HongshanornisHongshanornisHongshanornis is a genus of ornithurine bird known from the early Cretaceous lake deposits of the Yixian Formation, Inner Mongolia, China. The only known specimen was recovered in 2005. It was likely a strong flier and due to its long legs, Hongshanornis appears to have been a wader, feeding in...
(Early Cretaceous of China) - LongicrusavisLongicrusavisLongicrusavis is an extinct genus of basal ornithuromorph bird within the family Hongshanornithidae. Remains have been found from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Liaoning Province, China.-Description:...
(Early Cretaceous of China)
- Hongshanornis
- †Zhyraornithidae - enantiornithiform, ornithurine?
- ZhyraornisZhyraornisZhyraornis is a genus of prehistoric bird from the late Cretaceous period . Its fossils have been found in Bissekty Formation deposits near Dzharakuduk in the Kyzyl Kum, Uzbekistan. Two species have been assigned to this genus: Zhyraornis kashkarovi and Zhyraornis logunovi...
(Late Cretaceous)
- Zhyraornis
Liaoningornithiformes (extinct)
- Liaoningornithidae - pygostylian? ornithurine?
- LiaoningornisLiaoningornisLiaoningornis is a genus of bird from Lower Cretaceous China. It was collected from the dinosaur-bearing beds of the Sihetun locality, of the Yixian Formation, Shangyuan, near the city of Beipiao in Liaoning province. The only known species is Liaoningornis longidigitris...
(Early Cretaceous of China)
- Liaoningornis
Eurolimnornithiformes (extinct)
- Eurolimnornithidae - basal ornithurine, neognath (grebe?) or non-avian?
- EurolimnornisEurolimnornisEurolimnornis is the name given to a monotypic genus of fossil bird from the Early Cretaceous. E. corneti probably was a primitive, but essentially modern bird and may indeed be an early neognathe ancestral to the grebes, although the alternative theories that it was a theropod or pterosaur or a...
(Early Cretaceous)
- Eurolimnornis
Palaeocursornithiformes (extinct)
- Palaeocursornithidae - basal ornithurine, paleognath (ratite) or non-avian?
- PalaeocursornisPalaeocursornisPalaeocursornis is a monotypic genus of prehistoric bird. The species P. corneti, described in 1984, was initially assumed to be a flightless paleognathe, possibly a ratite, but it may actually be more primitive and not even a neornithine but an ornithuromorph bird or indeed not a bird at all...
(Early Cretaceous)
- Palaeocursornis
See also
- Bird ichnologyBird ichnologyBird ichnology is the study of avian life traces in ornithology and paleontology. Such life traces can include footprints, nests, feces and coproliths. Scientists gain insight about the behavior and diversity of birds by studying such evidence....
- Dominant group (extinction)
- Extinct birdsExtinct birdsSince 1500, over 190 species of birds have become extinct, and this rate of extinction seems to be increasing. The situation is exemplified by Hawaii, where 30% of all known recently extinct bird taxa originally lived...
- Feathered dinosaursFeathered dinosaursThe realization that dinosaurs are closely related to birds raised the obvious possibility of feathered dinosaurs. Fossils of Archaeopteryx include well-preserved feathers, but it was not until the early 1990s that clearly non-avialan dinosaur fossils were discovered with preserved feathers...
- Flightless birds
- Late Quaternary prehistoric birdsLate Quaternary prehistoric birdsPrehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
- Origin of birds
- Prehistoric life
External links
- Aves Translation and Pronunciation Guide by Ben Creisler. Version of 2003-JUL-7. Retrieved 2007-SEP-1.