Pelagornithidae

Skeleton of Pelagornis at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC

• Worldwide

The Pelagornithidae ( pseudo- toothed birds) are an extinct family of very large sea birds that occurred in the Tertiary world. Fossils from the Eocene were in Antarctica, in England and Nigeria, found from the Oligocene in South Carolina and the Caucasus. From the Miocene birds in France, North America and New Zealand are detected.

Features

The birds were very large, Osteodontornis orri reached a wingspan from 4.8 to 6 meters, and was thus, according to Argentavis magnificens the second largest flying bird that ever lived. Their bones were very thin, the skeleton very easily constructed and adapted to gliding. Since the skeleton was so fragile that Pelagornithidae probably could not dive, but began their food by swimming or in flight directly from the water surface, similar to recent frigate.

On the sides of the large beaks they had numerous tooth-like, bony outgrowths of the maxilla and mandible of different sizes. Of all the other birds, they differ in that they lacked the bony symphysis of the lower jaw. As the Pelecaniformes they had a joint between the two parts of the mandible and it could stretch when fishing so.

System

Most of the authors of the Pelagornithidae today in the order of Pelecaniformes ( Pelecaniformes ) are provided. Others emphasize that they combine features of the Pelecaniformes and Procellariiformes ( Procellariiformes ) and see in them a proof of a common origin of the two orders or represent the Pelagornithidae even in phylogenetic proximity to the geese birds ( Anseriformes ).

Genera

• Caspiodontornis
• Cyphornis
• Dasornis
• Gigantornis
• Macrodontopteryx
• Odontopteryx
• Osteodontornis
• Palaeochenoides
• Pelagornis Pelagornis miocaenus ( Lartet 1857; early and middle Miocene of France)
• Pelagornis mauretanicus ( Mourer - Chauviré & Geraada 2008; late Pliocene of Morocco)
• Pelagornis chilensis (Gerald Mayr & Rubilar David 2010; late Miocene of Chile)