| Messelirrisor Temporal range: Middle Eocene |
|
|---|---|
| Messelirrisor halcyrostris | |
| Conservation status | |
|
Fossil
|
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Coraciiformes |
| Family: | Messelirrisoridae Mayr, 1998 |
| Genus: | Messelirrisor Mayr, 1998 |
| Species | |
|
Messelirrisor grandis |
|
The extinct Messelirrisoridae are a family of Coraciiformes. Tiny hoopoe-like birds, they were among the predominant small forest birds of Central Europe during the Middle Eocene (some 49-37 mya).
Fossilized remains of the single known genus Messelirrisor have been found in the Messel Pit (Hesse, Germany). The Messelirrisoridae are the earliest representatives of the hoopoe/wood-hoopoe lineage known at present.
