In Depth Vegavis is a close relative of modern ducks and geese, but probably not a direct ancestor. Still, the discovery of Vegavis was still a very important and exciting discovery for those interested in the evolution of birds, as it is a clear sign that by at least the end of the Maastrichtian period … Read more
In Depth Calciavis is a genus of bird that lived in North America during the Eocene. Calciavis likely foraged upon the ground, though the precise diet is still unknown at the time of writing. Further Reading - The anatomy and taxonomy of the exquisitely preserved Green River Formation (early Eocene) lithornithids (Aves) and the relationships … Read more
In Depth Originally described as a species of Aepyornis, A. titan was declared distinct enough to be its own genus in 2018. The new genus name Vorombe basically means ‘big bird’, which is fitting because Vorombe may well be the largest of the currently known ‘elephant birds’. The ‘elephant birds’ which is the colloquial name … Read more
In Depth History and classification of Gastornis Gastornis was first named as a genus in 1855 by E. H�bert. Gastornis means ‘Gaston’s bird’, and H�bert chose this name to honour Gaston Plant�, the man who discovered the first ever (and hence holotype) fossils of Gastornis in the French Argile Plastique Formation that is not far … Read more
In Depth Asteriornis was a very interesting discovery for followers of bird palaeontology. Living approximately a million years before the end of the Cretaceous, Asteriornis shows skull features that are similar to chickens (galliformes) and ducks (anseriformes). This combination of features shows that in form Asteriornis was very close to the common ancestor of the … Read more
In Depth Paleopsilopterus is one of the smallest and by far earliest of the terror birds with fossils dating back as far as sixty million years ago. In a world that had seen the disappearance of the dinosaurs under five million years before its existence, Paleopsilopterus thrived and was likely the form that would go … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – On the Archaeopteryx of Von Meyer, with a description of the fossil remains of a long-tailed species from the lithographic stone of Solnhofen – Richard Owen – 1863. – On the animals which are most nearly intermediate between birds and reptiles – Thomas Henry Huxley – 1868. – Remarks upon … Read more