''Plesiocathartes'' is an extinct genus of birds that lived during the
Eocene to
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...
period. It currently presents 5 species from Europe and North America. It was originally described related to
New World vultures, but however recent studies has uncovered that the genus was more closely related to the
cuckoo roller from
Madagascar.
References
The first New World occurrence of the Eocene bird ''Plesiocathartes'' (Aves: ?Leptosomidae)Researchgate.net Retrieved June 2018.
Coraciiformes
Eocene birds
Oligocene birds
Prehistoric birds of Europe
Fossil taxa described in 1908
Prehistoric bird genera
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