Lithornis
Sign in to saveLithornis is a genus of extinct paleognathous birds. Although Lithornis was able to fly well, their closest relatives are the extant tinamous (which are poor flyers) and ratites (which are flightless birds).
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- Lithornis owen1846.jpg
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- taxon name
- Lithornis
- Commons category
- Lithornis
- start time
- 56000000-0
- end time
- 40000000-0
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Article
9 sectionsContents
- Species
- ''Lithornis celetius''
- ''Lithornis hookeri''
- ''Lithornis nasi''
- ''Lithornis plebius''
- ''Lithornis promiscuus''
- ''Lithornis vulturinus''
- Palaeobiology
- References
Lithornis is a genus of extinct paleognathous birds. Although Lithornis was able to fly well, their closest relatives are the extant tinamous (which are poor flyers) and ratites (which are flightless birds).
Fossils of Lithornis are known with certainty from the Upper Paleocene through the Middle Eocene, but their fossil record may extend to the late Cretaceous. Lithornis is from ancient Greek for 'stone bird', as it is one of the first fossil birds to become widely discussed. Presumably closely related genera are Paracathartes and Pseudocrypturus. Some researchers consider Calciavis as a species of Lithornis (L. grandei).