''Messelornis'', also known as the Messel rail, is an extinct genus of

gruiform The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like". Traditionally, a number of wading and terrestrial bird families that did ...

bird, closely related to modern

rails Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' ( ...

. It is the most abundant bird from the Messel Lagerstätte, representing roughly half of all Messel bird fossils with more than 500 specimens known. The fossil record are from the

Paleocene The Paleocene, ( ) or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 mya (unit), million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), E ...

to the early

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

. ''Messelornis'' was a generalized terrestrial bird, with a short beak, long legs, and a long tail. It was probably not an especially adept flier. It was omnivorous and had a diet including seeds, fruits, and fish. The name of the type species, ''M. cristata'', refers to the fact that it was initially interpreted as having a comb-like crest, but the existence of this crest has been disputed. One of its feathers had an iridescent coloration, but no chemical analysis has been done yet. ''Messelornis'' was originally interpreted as closely related to the sunbittern, which was also classified as a member of the Gruiformes at the time. However, the sunbittern has since been classified in a separate order,

Eurypygiformes Eurypygiformes is an order formed by the kagus, comprising two species in the family Rhynochetidae endemic to New Caledonia, and the sunbittern (''Eurypyga helias'') from the tropical regions of the Americas. Its closest relatives appear to be ...

, while ''Messelornis'' has remained a member of the Gruiformes and is now interpreted as a relative of rails.

References

Eocene life Messelornithidae Prehistoric birds of Europe {{paleo-bird-stub

See also

References