#Juncitarsus

[otussketching]

Fossil Novembirb: Day 11 - A New Dawn

Messel lake is a legendary fossil site from the middle Eocene of Germany, about 40 million years ago. It preserves incredible fossils and a great diversity of life thanks to the lake's dark, volcanic secrets. This was also famously the setting of the first episode of the paleodocumentary series Walking With Beasts. While the episode isn't particularly accurate and actually takes place at the later part of the Paleogene greenhouse, one thing is certain. There were a lot of birds here.

Hassiavis: An insectivorous bird related to nightjars and owlet-nightjars. The fossil of this bird is so well preserved that even the pattern of the bird's wing feathers is visible.

Paraprefica: An early relative of those peculiar South American birds, the potoos. In all likelyhood, this early potoo was just as weird as modern ones.

Scaniacypselus: One of the first true swifts, and was just as incredibly adapter for a life on the wing as modern swifts and tree-swifts.

Messelirrisor: A tiny insectivorous bird that was related to hoopoes.

Selmes: This small omnivorous bird was related to modern mousebirds. And like them, it could wwist all four of its toes forwards.

Eocoracias: A relative of rollers and the dollarbird that ate insects. The coloration of this bird is fully known thanks to excellent fossil preservation.

Masillastega: The earliest known gannet known from a complete skull. This booby dove under the surface to catch fish, though it likely didn't plunge down like modern boobies.

Rhynchaeites: A widespread wader known from multiple fossil sites in Europe. It closely resembles and may have been related to modern ibises.

Messelornis: A relative of modern rails and the obscure finfoots, this was a very successful bird, with fossils found from Europe and North America.

Juncitarsus: A long legged and spear beaked bird that resembles a crane, but is actually related to grebes and flamingoes. It used it's sharp beak to spear fish.

Paleotis: A relatively large and flightless relative of the modern ostriches, standing around a metre tall.

[veloci-raptor]

Fossil Novembirb: Day 11

Dawn in Messel

1. Eocoracias brachyptera

2. Masillastega rectirostris

3. Juncitarsus merkeli

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Fossil Novembirb 11: A New Dawn

Palaeotis by @drawingwithdinosaurs

One of the absolutely best known ecosystems of the Eocene is found at the Messel Pit site of Germany. Deposited in a similar way (via multiple volcanic eruptions over periods of thousands of years) to the Fossil Lake of yesterday, but a few million years later, it shows the end of the early Eocene and the start of the emergence of modern mammalian groups. Lucky for us, it also shows the next stage of bird evolution! This was also the site featured in the first episode of Walking With Beasts, "A New Dawn", though the avifauna was not particularly well represented in that program.

Yes, obviously, Gastornis was in Messel, though as a large ground herbivore than a predator. But there were plenty more birds than that! Lithornis was also here, because it was just as ubiquitous; and there was also the mysterious Palaeoganth Palaeotis. Originally thought to be a relative of Ostriches, then not, and now possibly again, this bird has a strangely intermediate morphology between that of large flightless Palaeognaths and the Lithornithids of the early Paleogene; indicating it may be a transitional form. It would not have been able to fly, given its short wings and lack of keel, and probably fed on small animals in its environment.

Juncitarsus by @thewoodparable

In addition to the Megafowl Gastornis, there was also the early landfowl Paraortygoides, which did not have a crop like living landfowl and as such probably mainly fed on soft plant material. It also had shorter legs than other landfowl relatives at the time, indicating it may have been more similar to living pheasants than fowl that had been around previously.

Even though the Flamingo-Ducks like Presbyornis would stick around well into the Neogene, the first relatives of Flamingos show up at around this time. Juncitarsus was a wading bird, probably just as closely related to living grebes as their cousins flamingos, and had gastroliths in its stomach - allowing it to feed on hard animals it gathered in from the lake. It wasn't the only wader; Messelornis, a wader related to living rails and cranes; is the most common bird at the Messel Pit and was an important generalist in its ecosystem. In addition, the "Snipe-Rail" Rhynchaeites was actually an ibis relative, probing for food with its beak in the substrate around the lake.

Scaniacypselus by Paleo Miguel

Strisores are everywhere at Messel, with relatives of swifts and hummingbirds like Cypseloramphus, Parargornis, and Scaniacypselus, which weren't as adapted to specialized aerial niches as their living relatives. An insectivore with tiny feet, Protocypselomorphus, was also present; as were an early potoo in the form of Paraprefica and an early frogmouth in the form of Masillapodargus.

Strange flight specialists far away from their living ranges aren't the only bizarre features of the ecosystem - Masillastega, a piscivore and relative of living gannets and boobies, was also present at Messel. More relatives of seriemas, like Dynamopterus, Salmila, and Strigogyps showcase how not all Cariamiformes were predators - Strigogyps was an herbivore! The long-legged predator Masillaraptor was present there too, indicating falcons were successful as multiple types of raptors prior to today. The owl Palaeoglaux was a small predatory bird, with ribbon-like feathers in dense layers on its back.

Eocoracias by @drawingwithdinosaurs

There were, of course, many tree dwelling birds in this lacustrine forest, including relatives from both sides of the "core landbirds" family tree. The ecosystem preserves a truly alarming number of mousebirds, including Chascacocolius with a conical beak, and Eoglaucidium with a strangely short tail. Eocoracias, another early roller like those found in Denmark, had iridescent feathers. Early hoopoes like Messelirrisor and early trogons like Masillatrogon show even more examples of more tropical birds showing up in higher latitude locations during this warm period. Messelastur was another possible Parrot/Passerine of prey; as was possibly Pumiliornis. Tons of pre-Passerines were here, too, including the zygodactly-footed Serudaptus, Psittacopes, and Primozygodactylus.

These dinosaurs were living at the end of a time of rapid evolution and diversification for most living things on Earth. However, the hot and humid times never last - as the planet begins to cool, drier ecosystems spread around the planet, and the global tropical forests fade into obscurity. It's time for these new groups of dinosaurs to adapt for new ecosystems...

Sources:

Mayr, 2022. Paleogene Fossil Birds, 2nd Edition. Springer Cham.

Mayr, 2017. Avian Evolution: The Fossil Record of Birds and its Paleobiological Significance (TOPA Topics in Paleobiology). Wiley Blackwell.

Smith, K. T. 2021. The Messel Pit: Window into a Greenhouse World. Geoconservation Research 4(2): 547-556.

[carrotdetective]

i’ve been talking about DD’s lore to a friend, so i thought i could share a portion of it here:

The Scarlet Bandits and Cerulean Theives, under the orders of Giulia, divided the Primus Empire into two regions: Rache and Venari. The SBs lurk in the Rache region, and CTs in the Venari region. Prior to Giulia’s uprising, the empire did not have separate regions, rather the kingdoms are connected to one political body known as the Primus Council. But when Giulia kidnapped and mind-controlled both them and Brace Investigations, she made them the ruling forces of each kingdom. Specifically, she tasked the BI to derail law enforcement agencies from investigating the crime surge and stealing from Giulia’s rivals and their connections, while the Primus Councilors drained the empire’s economy to fund their boss’ master scheme for an international monopoly.

The following are the kingdoms and bosses (PC [castle bosses] and BI [fortress bosses]) associated with their respective regions:

Rache (west)

Henge: ruled by PC Hutten (Ichthyostega) and guarded by BI Justice (Yoshi), this kingdom is the birthplace of the empire’s laws and home to the Sharplock family. Henge is also the home to a prestigious university the Cutello siblings and Sharplock brothers attended.

Olympia: ruled by PC Alketas (Styracosaurus) and guarded by BI Cleisthenes (Stygimoloch), this kingdom hosts the annual Primus Olympics and the location of ancient cities that are now ruins to visit or research on.

Oma: ruled by PC Beaudean (Sarcosuchus) and guarded by BI Amelia (Obdurodon), it is a sewage kingdom whose citizens manage an underground city, and serve as shelter from the SBs and CTs. Most of the buildings are made from empty shipping containers, especially houses.

Loch: ruled by PC Lochlan (Titanoboa) and guarded by BI Niniane (Dinopithecus), this forested kingdom is haunted by paranormal activity and famous for alleged sightings of a lake monster that resembles a giant Birdo that spits water from its mouth...or nose, whatever this creature really is.

Gaufre: ruled by PC Els (Protemnodon) and guarded by BI Romhilda (Mongolarachne), this kingdom is a hotspot for confectionaries and supposedly contains ingredients needed to bake a recreation of Princess Peach’s cake.

Kazot: ruled by PC Marisha (Rhinorex) and guarded by BI Damien (Notobatrachus), this musical kingdom is home to the wealthiest family in the Primus Empire: the Harmonis. It used to welcome fast-paced music, but the death of a Harmoni member banned the genre and settled for slow-paced music.

Loco: ruled by PC Corrado (Quetzalcoatlus) and guarded by BI Erhardt (Vilevolodon), this kingdom serves as a base to the Primus Military and the heart of the empire’s industries. It is also Thunder’s home kingdom, where she lives with her uncle and PC after her parents were killed in a car accident that triggered Thunder’s amaxophobia. Loco also contains a plethora of jobs for STEM individuals.

Folla: ruled by PC Jolanda (Spinosaurus) and guarded by BI Razor, this kingdom serves as the base of the Scarlet Bandits and one of the two kingdoms that has intense crime activity. Folla is the home of the Cutello family.

Venari (east)

Alpi: ruled by PC Weiss (Libanorhinus) and guarded by BI Noah (Prolagus), it is a mountainous kingdom and popular tourist destination due to its magnificent garden displays filled with colorful and exotic flowers; many are replicas of those native to faraway kingdoms, such as the Flower Kingdom.

Baza: ruled by PC Duman (Leptictidium) and guarded by BI Buqat (Citipati), it is a kingdom filled with a lot of shopping districts, which Baza earned this nickname: “The Primus Mall.”

Viz: ruled by PC Jensey (Archelon) and guarded by BI Kati (Juncitarsus), it is the cleanest kingdom in the empire and is popular for its hot springs. Viz’s main form of transportation are boats.

Pevnost: ruled by PC Vojtech (Megalania) and guarded by BI Sashmir (Vulpes qiuzhudingi), it is also a hotspot of paranormal activity but ghosts are mostly reported as opposed to Loch’s cryptid sightings. Pevnost has a lot of abandoned castles for avid ghost hunters to explore, and the kingdom is being debated on whether it truly introduced laws to the Primus Empire first before the Henge Kingdom. But some scholars argue that Pevnost serves as the building blocks for Henge.

Lumi: ruled by PC Soila (Dire Wolf) and guarded by BI Jean (Yijenplatycnemis), it is a festive kingdom popular for its amusement park named Lightland. Lumi is also the source for Primus’ entertainment, such as theater shows and animation studios.

Joyas: ruled by PC Fabriana (Megaloceros) and guarded by BI Merald (Therizinosaurus), it is the wealthiest kingdom in the empire due to its caves containing large amounts of gold, silver, and gemstones. However, expeditions to extract these priceless minerals resulted in accidents and deaths.

Molen: ruled by PC Rein (Haast’s Eagle) and guarded by BI Lisann (Eurotrochilus), it is a stupidly windy kingdom with a predictable weather forecast. Molen also serves as a secondary base for the Primus Military and a training area for their pilots.

Drac: ruled by PC Eligio (Baryonyx) and guarded by BI Ruby, this is one of the two kingdoms with intense crime activity. It is also the base of the Cerulean Thieves.

[new-dinosaurs]

Bumbalavis anatoides Zelenkov, 2021 (new genus and species)

(Partial forelimb bones of Bumbalavis anatoides, from Zelenkov, 2021)

Meaning of name: Bumbalavis = Bumban Member wing bird; anatoides = similar to anatids (ducks, geese, etc.)

Age: Eocene (Ypresian)

Where found: Naran-Bulak Formation, Ömnögovi, Mongolia

How much is known: Several partial forelimb bones. (It is not known whether any of the bones belong to the same individual.)

Notes: Bumbalavis was a presbyornithid, a group of long-legged extinct birds closely related to ducks and geese. Some of its remains were previously assigned to Presbyornis proper, but a new study finds that though a larger Presbyornis-like presbyornithid is known from the same locality, Bumbalavis can be distinguished from it in details of the humerus (upper arm bone). This study additionally suggests that many of the “presbyornithid” fossils from that site (including the type specimen of “Presbyornis” mongoliensis) actually belong to birds similar to Juncitarsus, a close extinct relative of flamingos and grebes.

Reference: Zelenkov, N.V. 2021. A revision of the Palaeocene–Eocene Mongolian Presbyornithidae (Aves: Anseriformes). Paleontological Journal 55: 323–330. doi: 10.1134/S0031030121030138

[bukbot]

Küsschen für dich!

Taking care of him and grows a bit too long can be a mature hen’s egg, and chicks can be a Pelagornithid - pseudotoothed bird - instead .  Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juncitarsus Mayr, G. Surrounded.

[dwollsadventures]

General Information:

Phoenix - Among the most famous, but infuriatingly rare birds in the world. The royal birds are famous for their rebirth, as well as their beautiful looks and supposed singularity, i.e. that only one exists at a time. However, through the many, many years these beings have been around information about them has become so garbled and mixed that, along with their rarity, makes documenting them a nearly impossible task. 

To begin with, the phoenix is intrinsically linked to the Bennu, a mythical bird said to be the ba of Re and responsible for the creative aspect of the god Atum. Either way, the bird is an icon of creation, heralded as "He Who Came Into Being by Himself" much like the deities it is linked with. Later it became linked to Osiris, the god of rebirth for similar reasons. Aside from its formal and metaphorical head-dress, the Bennu itself was said to be nothing more fantastical than a grey heron, possibly of the variety Ardea bennuides, named after it. It's through this enigmatic Egyptian bird that the phoenix is derived from. While exact details are unknown, it's not out of character to assume the Bennu gave rise to a race of similar birds, much like how Atum and Re gave rise to their own family of deities. The phoenices themselves are nowhere near as impressive as the Bennu, and (not taking into account their mythic qualities) not unlike many other desert-dwelling birds.  The name phoenix is not Egyptian, rather it's Greek, and thought to be derived from the Phoenicians. While their range  does include the once-existing Phoenician kingdom, the name supposedly takes reference to their vast riches, royal airs, and the frequently of their purple dye. But, phoenices, when not bursting into flames during their rebirth, are quite ordinary birds. This, along with the name appearing in Ancient Mycenean texts as "po-ni-ke" leads to a mysterious origin for both the name and the birds themselves. 

They are akin to both herons, like the Bennu, but also flamingos and grebes, living most of their lives in desert rivers and oases. Gangly in form, they feed by wading, catching small fish and invertebrates. Far from fiery, their feathers are a rather dull grey/brown for most of their 500 year lifespan. Phoenices are incredibly rare, with an estimated range of one per every 2500 square miles.  When they do meet up, they usually breed, wait until their single egg is hatched, and depart. All phoenices are hermaphrodites, negating the chance of two males or females meeting and being unable to breed. After spending 500 years slowly living their lives, the phoenix  will preform a dazzling ritual, where its feathers slowly darken to purple, then lighten to red, then orange, and finally explode in flame, marking the end of their life in a corona of fire and light. Like many birds the phoenix is very particular about this ritual, as they will spend weeks on end finding a suitable spot, and a selection of spice-plants (most notably myrrh) to garner their new nest. After this, the ashes will settle, and from them is birthed a baby phoenix. The baby will eat the collected herbs around them,  then, when they're old enough, fly away. 

Historical records show many different phoenices use the same spots, most famously an old temple of Re (or some other Egyptian sun-god). It's this exciting, euphoric rebirth experience that most records speak of, while the rest of  their lives go unrecorded. Due to this, many go searching for the phoenix in all the wrong place, overlooking the drab stork-like marvels in the process. This revival enables a certain type of immortality, but the birds are still vulnerable their entire lives. A dead phoenix  cannot revive itself. However, a byproduct of their revival is that the bird retains all of the information it possessed beforehand. This leads to a bird with the body of a youngster but all the experience of itself beforehand. In this way phoenices are overlooked. While not sentient or well-spoken,  they have devised over the centuries methods of escaping predators and detection far beyond human understanding. Though they are both found in Arabia and Egypt, the phoenix is often mistaken for the Cinnamon Bird, a rather ordinary species with no phoenix-like qualities.  As is the case with many creatures, the Christians took the phoenix and ascribed it many other fantastical and utterly fictitious abilities and traits, like it's sapphire eyes and Christ-like nature. 

Sources: -Herodotus, "Histories" -Pliny The Elder; "Natural History" -Aelian; "On Animals" -Van der Broek, R; "The Myth of the Phoenix" -Wilkinson, Richard H.; "The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt"

Notes: No particular reason I'm doing this one right now, only that I found The Myth of the Phoenix and decided to redo their entry. In a lot of artwork the phoenix is either some type of bird of prey (probably going off of Herodotus saying they were the size of eagles) or some indistinct bird. But, since they were connected to the Bennu, the heron route was clear from the start. Instead of going straight heron though I wanted to get some Juncitarsus and Megapaloelodus in there to make it look less like something you'd find in the modern day. Also got a painterly background because I've been painting in Krita again and wanted to interject some of that in here.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Juncitarsus gracillimus, J. merkeli

By Jack Wood on @thewoodparable

PLEASE SUPPORT US ON PATREON. EACH and EVERY DONATION helps to keep this blog running! Any amount, even ONE DOLLAR is APPRECIATED! IF YOU ENJOY THIS CONTENT, please CONSIDER DONATING! 

Name: Juncitarsus gracillimus, J. merkeli

Status: Extinct

First Described: 1980

Described By: Olson & Feduccia 

Classification: Dinosauria, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neovaes, Aequorlitornithes, Mirandornithes

Juncitarsus is a well known bird from the Bridger Formation of Wyoming and the Messel Pit of Germany, living between 49 and 46 million years ago, in the Ypresian to Lutetian ages of the Eocene to the Paleogene. A wading bird, Juncitarsus was originally thought to be a primitive flamingo - with a long neck, very long skinny legs, and a long beak good for feeding in the water. However, despite its extreme similarities to modern flamingos, it might not be a flamingo at all - but rather, an early member of the group containing both flamingos and their closest relatives, the grebes. Given its very straight beak, it’s definitely not like a modern flamingo - with their downturned beaks - and it’s different from the needle-like beaks of modern grebes as well. In addition, Juncitarsus doesn’t have the derived characteristics shared by both grebes and flamingos in its skeleton, making it unlikely to be more closely related to one or the other. So Juncitarsus is a weird evolutionary offshoot of the group, an early experiment in the wade-feeding lifestyle. 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juncitarsus 

Mayr, G. 2009. Paleogene Fossil Birds. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.  

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Palaeoglaux

By José Carlos Cortés

Etymology: Ancient Owl

First Described By: Mourer-Chauviré, 1987

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Afroaves, Strigiformes

Referred Species: P. perrierensis, P. artophoron

Status: Extinct

Time and Place: Palaeoglaux lived from 48 to 37 million years ago, from the Ypresian age to the Priabonian age of the Eocene in the Paleogene 

Palaeoglaux is known from the Messel Pit of Darmstadt-Dieburg, Germany; as well as the later Quercy Fissure Formation of Occitanie, France 

Physical Description: Palaeoglaux was a very early form of owl, and one of the most complete early owls known - which means we know quite a bit about it! It is known from multiple individuals, including full skeletons on slabs; though, at this time, its skull is not known, so it is uncertain if it looked quite as weird as living owls in terms of facial structure. Like living owls, it has extra air holes in its shoulders, showing that this unique trait of living owls evolved very early on. However, it doesn’t show a bony arch in the foot like living owls, meaning it probably didn’t use its feet as much in hunting as living owls do - since that bony arch helps to strengthen the feet in gathering prey.

In general, Palaeoglaux was a fairly small owl, about the size of the modern Little Owl - so, able to fit in the palm of the hand. This makes sense, given that most animals from the global rainforest of the Messel Pit were quite small, due to the density of vegetation. In addition, the later species - from the late Eocene, when the rainforest was transitioning to drier, more open environments - is significantly larger than the earlier species, thus pointing to its size being directly related to its environment. One distinctive thing about Palaeoglaux, at least the earlier Messel species, are its feathers - long, ribbon like feathers are known from its back, which were originally interpreted as display structures. This would have made Palaeoglaux a rare, but not unique, example of a diurnal (daytime) owl. However, these sorts of feathers are actually quite common in Messel Pit fossils - so it actually could be an example of a preservational thing. Thus, more fossils are necessary to determine if these feathers are actually a display structure or just regular old feathers. Since there are many diurnal birds of prey in the Messel Environment, it would make sense for there to be at least one nighttime hunter such as Palaeoglaux. Still, the jury is out.

Diet: As an owl, Palaeoglaux was probably a bird of prey - feeding on small animals such as rodents, lizards, and smaller birds. Still, we do not have the head of Palaeoglaux at this time; this means we can’t be certain that it was exclusively carnivorous, like modern owls. It is more likely because the common ancestor of owls and many other birds such as mousebirds, rollers, parrots, and songbirds was probably a bird of prey; so owls (and animals like hawks, eagles, falcons, and seriemas) just retained that lifestyle while other groups lost it. Still, it’s possible Palaeoglaux may have had a different diet than living owls, and more fossils are necessary to confirm that it was a predator. Given that Palaeoglaux was quite small in the Messel environment, it wouldn’t have been able to eat very big animals; though its prey size would have increased as it did later in the Eocene.

Behavior: Owls today utilize keen eyesight and hearing to hunt food at night, using silent flight to sneak up on prey and catch them unawares. Many of the features necessary for this probably evolved in the Eocene, as some of the earliest representatives of modern owls evolved in this time. However, Palaeoglaux shows a unique mixture of early and derived traits, and thus, it may not have been ask exceptionally adapted for hunting as living owls. Much of Palaeoglaux’s behavior remains a mystery because we do not have fossils of its head at this time - and we’re not sure whether or not it was diurnal, meaning active in the day, or nocturnal, aka active at night.

Given that it does have more air-filled shoulder bones, it probably was in the process - if not already there - of evolving those silent flight mechanics of living owls. This would have aided it in hunting prey, allowing it to sneak up on other animals. However, its less strengthened toe bones would mean that it wasn’t quite as good at holding down its prey and catching it with its feet as living owls; it possible that it would have used its mouth more, though of course, without head fossils that’s difficult to say. Still, it would have dwelled in trees, using its high vantage point to look for food.

If Palaeoglaux’s ribbon feathers were for display, rather than just regular feathers, then Palaeoglaux would have probably been diurnal - active and hunting during the day. It may have puffed up those ribbon feathers in threat displays or sexual displays as well. If they weren’t for display, Palaeoglaux may have still been diurnal; or it could have been nocturnal, hunting small animals at night.

By Scott Reid

Ecosystem: The Messel Pit was a diverse and important ecosystem from the middle Eocene, with many different transitional forms of animals to showcase how life began to evolve into modern forms. Palaeoglaux is one of many transitional dinosaurs, living in the Global Rainforest environment of the time; the Messel Pit was warm and wet and covered with dense vegetation, which rendered Palaeoglaux and essentially all other tree-dwelling birds extremely small. The forest surrounded a large lake, which was filled with trapped volcanic gas; these gases would have released periodically and overwhelmed the animals of the environment, leading ot mass deaths. These animals would have then drifted down to the bottom of the lake, allowing for the unique preservation that allows for us to have a unique glimpse into this environment. Palaeoglaux probably spent most of its time in the trees, rather than closer to the lakeshore.

Many other dinosaurs filled the environment with Palaeoglaux, including the early roller Eocoracias, the early songbird Primozygodactlyus, other roller and Kingfisher relatives Messelirrisor and Primobucco, the parrot of prey Messelastur, the seriema-like Strigogyps, and the large herbivore Gastornis. Messelastur and Strigogyps, being much, much larger than Palaeoglaux, may have even fed upon it. The early flamingo relative Juncitarsus was also present in the pit, and probably was a wading bird within the lake of the Messel. Early forms of hummingbirds and other weird fliers were present (such as early relatives of potoos and nightjars), as well as an early woodpecker relative Gracilitarsus, other seriema relatives like Idiornis, and falcons like Masillaraptor. As such, diurnal birds of prey were heavily present in the Messel; and this points more to Palaeoglaux potentially being nocturnal after all.

Palaeoglaux was also present in the Quercy Fissure Formation. This was a later Eocene formation, showcasing how life began to transition along with the general environment. The global rainforest was drying up as the world was cooling; ice caps were forming at the poles, and ecosystems in general were becoming more open, dry plains. As such, Palaeoglaux got somewhat larger - as did other birds. Still, the Quercy Formation represents an environment that was still fairly warm and wet - it was probably an estuary environment, near to the shore but not quite associated fully, given that very few fish are preserved there. The environment was littered sinkholes and caves, leading to its unique preservation of animals. Many salamanders and some frogs are known form the area; though, by far, lizards are some of the most common animals there, and were probably a major source of food for Palaeoglaux. Here, Strigogyps was still present, and may have still been a problem for Palaeoglaux; parrots closer to modern forms such as Quercypsitta were present, as was the early woodpecker relative Sylphornis. Pigeons, water birds, and landfowl were also common frequenters of this environment.

Other: Palaeoglaux, though complete, is often extremely crushed; the fossil slabs of the species are difficult to interpret, and one of the best known slabs has not yet been fully described.

Species Differences: P. perrierensis is the later species from Quercy - so it is younger, from France, and larger than P. artophoron, the species from the Messel. In addition, P. perrierensis did have somewhat stronger feet than P. artophoron, indicating further evolution of traits involved in catching prey as the genus continued through the Eocene.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources under the cut 

Astruc, J. G., G. Escarguel, B. Marandat, R. Simon-Coinçon, B. Sigé. 2000. Floor-age constraining of a tectonic paroxysm of the Pyrenean orogen. Late Middle Eocene mammal age of a faulted karstic filling of the Quercy phosphorites, south-western France. Geodinamica Acta 13: 271 - 280.

Mayr, G. 2009. Paleogene Fossil Birds. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Mayr, G. 2017. Avian Evolution: The Fossil Record of Birds and its Paleobiological Significance. Topics in Paleobiology, Wiley Blackwell. West Sussex.

Mayr, G. 2016. The early Eocene birds of the Messel fossil site: a 48 million-year-old bird community adds a temporal perspective to the evolution of tropical avifaunas. Biological Reviews 92 (2): 1174 - 1188.

Mezger, J. E., M. Felder, F.-J. Harms. 2013. Crystalline rocks in the maar deposits of Messel: key to understanding the geometries of the Messel Fault Zone and didatreme and the post-eruptional development of the basin fill. Journal of the German Geosciences Society 164 (4): 639 - 662.

Mourer-Chauviré, C. 1987. The owls (Aves: strigiformes) of Phosphorites Du Quercy (France) systematics, biostratigraphy, and paleobiogeogrpahy, pgs 89 - 136 in Documents des Laboratoires de Geologie Lyon, Départment des Sciences de la Terre, Université Claude-Bernard Lyon 1.  

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Chase Homebase In addition, Juncitarsus doesn’t have chickens a.

OFF MY HINGES, BUT I HAVE A BEAK?

[bukbot]

What is the meaning of life?

Are people so I had an “accidental” chick born the moment they come for you: The owls in the wade-feeding lifestyle .  Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juncitarsus Mayr, G.