| Lithornithiformes Temporal range: Paleocene - Eocene, 56–40 Ma |
|
|---|---|
| Pseudocrypturus cercanaxius fossil cast, Zoologisk Museum, Copenhagen | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| clade: | Carinatae |
| Subclass: | Neornithes |
| Superorder: | Palaeognathae |
| Order: | †Lithornithiformes Houde, 1988 |
| Family | |
Lithornithiformes is an extinct order of early paleognath birds. Lithornithiform birds are known from fossils dating to the Upper Paleocene through the Middle Eocene of North America and Europe. All are extinct today.
Lithornithids had long, slender, bills for probing. They closely resembled modern Tinamous. The smaller members in Genus Lithornis and Pseudocrypturus were good fliers, but the heavier Paracathartes was probably only a facultative flier. The unguals were more curved than Tinamous and probably allowed better perching in trees.
The Order was erected by Dr. Peter Houde in 1988. Three Genera are included; Lithornis, Paracathartes, and Pseudocrypturus. There are eight known species across these Genera.[1] Promusophaga (Harrisson & Walker, 1977) may belong in lithornithiformes too.
Lithornithid birds possessed a rhynchokinetic skull with relatively unfused cranial bones, a weakly fused pygostyle and a splenial. They had a strongly developed keel on the sternum.