Kingdom Animalia Rank Species | Class Aves Phylum Chordata | |
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Genus PumiliornisG. Mayr, 1999 Similar Messelornis, Ludiortyx, Strigogyps, Juncitarsus, Primobucco |
Pumiliornis tessellatus is an ancient bird from the Middle Eocene of Messel, Hesse, Germany. It is described as a wren-sized anisodactyl bird with a long, slender bill and strong hallux. Its species name tessellatus, meaning "mosaic" in Latin, is a reference to its unusual distribution of characters and uncertain phylogenetic placement.
In 2014, a new specimen of Pumiliornis was described that showed preserved stomach contents of pollen grains from a eudicotyledonous angiosperm, making it the earliest fossil evidence of flower-visiting behavior in birds.
References
Pumiliornis tessellatus Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA