Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Order Bucerotiformes | Class Aves Rank Genus | |
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Family Messelirrisoridae
Mayr, 1998 Similar Masillaraptor, Paraprefica, Strigogyps, Lesmesodon, Messelornis | ||
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.
References
Messelirrisor Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA