Information about Pelagornithidae

Pelagornithidae Fossil range: Early Eocene? - Pliocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Pelagornithidae Fürbringer, 1888
Genera
Gigantornis Cyphornis Osteodontornis Pelagornis Odontopteryx Caspiodontornis Dasornis Palaeochenoides Pseudodontornis Tympanoneisiotes

The Pelagornithidae or pseudo-tooth birds were a family of large seabirds from the order Pelecaniformes, which were common worldwide from the Eocene (or possibly Paleocene) up to the Miocene; undetermined species even occurring in Middle Eocene Antarctica. They had wingspans up to 6 m (20 ft) and were somewhat similar to albatrosses, although they had a large bill with tooth-like projections that enabled them to pick up slippery prey like fish or squids more easily. Their similarities with the Procellariiformes go so far that some paleontologists see them as possibly proving the common origin of pelicans and the tubenoses; Neptuniavis from the London Clay Early Eocene of England seems somewhat intermediate but is not known from much material. The most well-known genus in the family is Osteodontornis, which lived in the Northern Hemisphere from the Early Oligocene to the Pliocene and was one of the largest birds of its time.

References

• Olson, Storrs L. (1985): The fossil record of birds. In: Farner, D.S.; King, J.R. & Parkes, Kenneth C. (eds.): Avian Biology 8: 79-238. Academic Press, New York.
• Stilwell, Jeffrey D.; Jones, Craig M.; Levy, Richard H. & Harwood, David M. (1998): First fossil bird from East Antarctica. Antarctic Journal of the United States 33(1): 12-16. PDF fulltext