Messelasturidae

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Messelasturidae
Temporal range: Eocene Eocene (possible Paleocene representative)[1]
Tynskya eocaena
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Eufalconimorphae
Family: †Messelasturidae
Mayr 2005
Genera

Messelasturidae is an extinct family of birds known from the

owls, more recent studies have suggested a closer relationship to parrots and passerines
. Their ecology is enigmatic.

Description

Messelastur gratulator

On the skull, Messelasturidae possessed a raptorial beak and a large supraorbital process.[2]

On the feet, messelasturids lacked an ossified supratendineal bridge on the distal tibiotarsus.[3] They also featured raptorlike ungual phalanges.[4]

They were likely ground dwelling carnivores. They existed at an age range of 61.7 to 40.4 Ma.[5]

Tynskya is characterized by a distinctive morphology of the tarsometatarsus.[6]

Discovery and classification

Psittaciformes, but a sister group relationship with Halcyornithidae was not recovered.[9]

Ecology

Due to the mosaic nature of the morphology of messelasturids, their ecology is difficult to assess. It is likely they had a specialised feeding ecology. It is unlikely that they regularly searched the ground for food or engaged in hawking via sallying flights from perches. It is possible that they had a raptorial ecology, and hard shelled invertebrates have also been suggested as a food source, but other items like fruit and seeds cannot be ruled out.[9]

Distribution

Fossils of Messelastur are known from Germany (Messel). Tynskya remains have been found in the US (Green River Formation), and in the UK (London Clay), illustrating the resemblance between the early Eocene birds of North America and Europe.[6] Indeterminate messelasturid remains have also been reported from the early Eocene Nanjemoy Formation of Virginia in the United States.[10] An indeterminate bird from the Paleocene aged Menat maar deposit in France bears similarities to both Messelasturidae and Halcyornithidae.[1]

References

  1. ^
    S2CID 133878360
    .
  2. ^
    S2CID 84569222
    .
  3. S2CID 37847975
    .
  4. S2CID 85180754
    .
  5. ^ "Fossilworks: Messelasturidae". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  6. ^
    S2CID 58897862
    .
  7. ^ Peters, D.S. (1994) Messelastur gratulator n. gen. n. spec., ein Greifvogel as der Grube Messel (Aves: Accipitridae). Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, 170:3-9
  8. S2CID 37847975
    .
  9. ^
    ISSN 1867-6812
    .
  10. ISSN 0891-2963
    .
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