Messelornithidae
Temporal range: 61.7–48.6 Ma[1] Paleocene[2] - Early Oligocene
Fossil specimen of Messelornis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: †Messelornithidae
Genera

Messelornis
Itardiornis
Pellornis

Messelornithidae is an extinct clade of gruiform birds, closely related to modern rails.[3][4][5] The fossil record are from the Paleocene to the early Oligocene of Europe and North America.[2]

References

  1. ^ "†family Messelornithidae (bird)". Fossilworks.
  2. ^ a b Mourer-Chaviré C. (1995). "The Messelornithidae (Aves: Gruiformes) from the Paleogene of France". Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg. 181: 95–105.
  3. ^ Mayr, Gerald (2004). "Phylogenetic relationships of the early Tertiary Messel rails (Aves, Messelornithidae)". Senckenbergiana Lethaea. 84 (1–2): 317–322. doi:10.1007/BF03043474. ISSN 0037-2110. S2CID 76649548. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  4. ^ Mayr, Gerald (2009). Paleogene Fossil Birds. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-89628-9. ISBN 978-3-540-89627-2.
  5. ^ Morlo, Michael (2004). "Diet of Messelornis (Aves: Gruiformes), an Eocene bird from Germany". Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg. 252: 29–33.


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