''Zeltornis'' ("Zelten bird") 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 heron. It contains a single species, ''Zeltornis ginsburgi''. ''Zeltornis'' probably resembled the modern night herons, but was much larger, standing 2 m (6 ft 8 in) tall and weighing about 15 kg. Its wingspan is estimated at 2.50 m (8 ft 4 in). It is known from a single right

coracoid A coracoid (from Greek κόραξ, ''koraks'', raven) is a paired bone which is part of the shoulder assembly in all vertebrates except therian mammals (marsupials and placentals). In therian mammals (including humans), a coracoid process is prese ...

of which the distal part is missing ( MNHN collection, uncatalogued). Nonetheless, the partial bone is distinctive enough to place the species clearly into the heron

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

. In particular it seems to have been allied most closely to the night herons, although it cannot have been a direct ancestor of extant species because the modern genus '' Nycticorax'' did already exist in the Oligocene. ''Zeltornis'' is named after the

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

Zelten in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

, where it was found.

References

* Balouet, Jean Christophe (1981): ''Zeltornis ginsburgi'', n.g. n.sp. (Ardeidae, Aves), Héron géant du Miocène inférieur du Djebel Zelten (Libye). ''Comptes Rendus des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences (Paris)'' 293: 235–239. rticle in French* Mlíkovský, Jiří (2003): Early Miocene birds of Djebel Zelten, Libya. ''Časopis Národního muzea, Řada přírodovědná (J. Nat. Mus., Nat. Hist. Ser.)'' 172: 114–120
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Ardeidae Bird genera Herons Miocene birds Cenozoic birds of Africa Fossil taxa described in 1981 Taxa named by Jean-Christophe Balouet {{Pelecaniformes-stub