Presbyornis
Presbyornis is an extinct genus of water bird. It was a wading bird, often walking in shallow water on its long legs.
| Presbyornis | |
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| An assemblage of Presbyornis pervetus skeletons (AMNH 28505) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Unrecognized taxon (fix): | Presbyornis |
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Presbyornis was one of the first anseriforms. Because of its long legs and neck, it was initially mistaken for a flamingo. Later it was reclassified as an anseriform when the duck-like anatomy of its skull and bill was found. It is from an extinct group closely related to ducks and geese. Judging from numerous fossil findings, Presbyornis probably lived in colonies around shallow lakes. Its broad, flat bill was used to filter food (small plants and animals) from the water, in the manner of today's dabbling ducks.[1]
The fossil record includes many complete skeletons from Green River Formation sites (early Eocene).[2] This suggests that the birds nested in colonies, similar to many colony-nesting waterfowl or shorebirds today. Species of this bird have also been found in Maryland, Utah, England,[3] and Mongolia.[4] Fossils are held in the Smithsonian Institution, the Natural History Museum, London, and the KUVP.
References
- ↑ Palmer D. (ed) 1999. The Marshall illustrated encyclopedia of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. London: Marshall Editions, 181. ISBN 1-84028-152-9
- ↑ Wetmore, Alexander 1926. Fossil birds from the Green River Deposits of Eastern Utah. Annals of the Carnegie Museum 16: 391-402.
- ↑ Dyke, Gareth J. 2001. The fossil waterfowl (Aves: Anseriformes) from the Eocene of England. American Museum Novitates 3354: 1-15. [1] Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Kurochkin, Evgeny N; Dyke, Gareth J. & Karhu, Alexandr A. 2002. A new Presbyornithid bird (Aves, Anseriformes) from the late Cretaceous of southern Mongolia. American Museum Novitates 3386: 1-11. [2][dead link]