Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective

Precursor (bird)

Possible extinct genus of birds From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Remove ads

"Precursor" is a controversial prehistoric bird genus from the Early Eocene.[1][2] It was established based on fossils found in England, including in the famous London Clay deposits. Three species are included in the genus: "P." parvus, the type species, "P." magnus, and "P." litorum, all named by Colin Harrison and Cyril Walker in 1977.[1][3]

Quick Facts Scientific classification, Species ...

These remains were originally considered to be members of the Charadriiformes, more specifically the earliest representatives of the Glareolidae (pratincoles and coursers).[1] However, several authors have since found this interpretation to be dubious,[2][4] with the lack of measurements and contradictory wording making the original description's conclusions difficult to verify.[5] At least some of the material, namely the paratype humerus of "P." parvus, has been re-interpreted as belonging to the Pseudasturidae (or Halcyornithidae), a group of stem-parrots, the remains of which (including a complete skeleton) were found in the Green River Formation in the United States.[6][7]

Remove ads

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads