Birds of the British Upper Eocene

Abstract

The fossil birds of the British Upper Eocene are re‐examined, further species are described, and additional material referred to existing species. Seeley's Macrornis tanaupus appears to be non‐avian. Of the nine species listed by Lydekker (1891), the supposed cormorant, Actiornis anglicus, and the supposed flamingo, Elornis anglicus, appear referable to a single species of ibis under the former name; and Ibidopsis is transferred to the rails. The total number of forms now recognized consists of a diver, a cormorant, two ibises, a flamingo (based on limb shafts and unnamed), a telmabatid, a duck, a probable cathartid vulture, a hawk, an osprey, a rail and four waders. Seven new genera and seven new species are named.

The Paleogene fossil record of birds in Europe

“…Columbidae have no Paleogene fossil record, even outside Europe, and I consider the Lower Eocene putative columbid Microena Harrison & Walker 1977 to be a member of the Cypselomorphae. Olson (1989) assumed that Columbidae evolved in the Southern Hemisphere and did not arrive in Europe before the Neogene.…”

“…However as noted by Olson (1985), the taxonomy of these birds, which at this locality are known from isolated remains only, is in dire need of revision and probably too many taxa are currently recognized. The large tarsometatarsi from the London Clay that were assigned to the alleged procellariiform Neptuniavis by Harrison & Walker (1977) almost certainly belong to one of the pelagornithid taxa from the same locality, of which the tarsometatarsus has not been described , see also Harrison & Walker, 1976. The systematic affinities of the Pelagornithidae are still uncertain and affinities to Procellariiformes and 'Pelecaniformes' were suggested (Harrison & Walker, 1976 b ;Olson, 1985).…”

“…As detailed by , the Upper Oligocene Taoperdix pessieti (Gervais 1862), the type species of the genus Taoperdix, is, however, not a member of the Gallinuloididae (contra Brodkorb, 1964), and the affinities of this taxon need to be restudied. My examination of the type specimens revealed that Paraortygoides radagasti Dyke & Gulas 2002 from the London Clay is probably a junior synonym of Argillipes paralectoris Harrison & Walker 1977 from the same locality, with which it was not compared by Dyke & Gulas (2002). Table 2.…”

“…Fragmentary remains of other putative Galliformes which were reported as 'Phasianidae ' from the Paleogene of England by Harrison & Walker (1977 need to be restudied and compared with the above taxa.…”

“…Taxa that are unambiguously within crown-group Charadriiformes are not known from pre-Oligocene deposits. The Lower Eocene taxa that were reported from the London Clay consist of very fragmentary remains and are in need of revision ; the paratypic humerus of the putative pratincole (Glareolidae) Precursor parvus Harrison & Walker 1977, for example, belongs to the psittaciform Pseudasturidae . A partial skeleton of an unnamed species of uncertain affinities within Charadriiformes was described from Messel (Mayr, 2000e), but is too incompletely preserved to allow detailed comparisons.…”