''Palaeotodus'' is an extinct
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
todies
The todies are a family, Todidae, of tiny Caribbean birds in the order Coraciiformes, which also includes the kingfishers, bee-eaters and rollers. The family has one living genus, '' Todus'', and one genus known from the fossil record, '' Palaeot ...
in the family
Todidae. The genus has at least three species known from fossils found in west-central Europe and western North America.
Species
The following
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
are classified within the genus:
*†''Palaeotodus emryi'' -
Olson, 1976: Oligocene fossils found in
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
(U.S.A.). These remains indicate a larger size and proportionally larger wings than those of the modern todies
*†''Palaeotodus escampsiensis'' -
Mourer-Chauviré, 1985: Upper Eocene fossils found in France
*†''Palaeotodus itardiensis'' -
Mourer-Chauviré, 1985: Lower Oligocene fossils found in France
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q30589861
Prehistoric bird genera
Prehistoric birds of Europe
Paleogene France
Fossils of France
Quercy Phosphorites Formation
Prehistoric birds of North America