Messelirrisor Temporal range: Middle Eocene |
|
---|---|
Messelirrisor halcyrostris | |
Fossil
|
|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Bucerotiformes |
Family: |
Messelirrisoridae Mayr, 1998 |
Genus: |
Messelirrisor Mayr, 1998 |
Species | |
Messelirrisor grandis |
Messelirrisor grandis
Messelirrisor halcyrostris
Messelirrisor parvus
The extinct Messelirrisoridae are a family of Bucerotiformes. 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.