List of Late Quaternary prehistoric bird species explained

Late Quaternary prehistoric birds are avian taxa that became extinct during the Late Quaternary – the Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene – and before recorded history, specifically before they could be studied alive by ornithological science. They had died out before the period of global scientific exploration that started in the late 15th century. In other words, this list deals with avian extinctions between 40,000 BC and AD 1500. For the purposes of this article, a "bird" is any member of the clade Neornithes, that is, any descendant of the most recent common ancestor of all currently living birds.

The birds are known from their remains, which are subfossil; as the remains are not completely fossilized, they may yield organic material for molecular analyses to provide additional clues for resolving their taxonomic affiliations. Some birds are also known from folk memory, as in the case of Haast's eagle in New Zealand.

The extinction of the taxa in this list was coincident with the expansion of Homo sapiens beyond Africa and Eurasia, and in most cases, anthropogenic factors played a crucial part in their extinction, be it through hunting, introduced predators or habitat alteration. It is notable that a large proportion of the species are from oceanic islands, especially in Polynesia. Bird taxa that evolved on oceanic islands are usually very vulnerable to hunting or predation by rats, pigs, dogs or cats (animals commonly introduced by humans) as they evolved in the absence of mammalian predators, and therefore have only rudimentary predator avoidance behavior. Many, especially rails, have additionally become flightless for the same reason and thus present even easier prey.

Taxon extinctions taking place before the Late Quaternary happened in the absence of significant human interference. Rather, reasons for extinction are random abiotic events such as bolide impacts, climate changes, mass volcanic eruptions, etc. Alternatively, species may have become extinct due to evolutionary displacement by successor or competitor taxa – it is notable for example that in the early Neogene, seabird biodiversity was much higher than today; this is probably due to competition by the radiation of marine mammals after that time. The relationships of these ancient birds are often hard to determine, as many are known only from very fragmentary remains and complete fossilization precludes analysis of information from DNA, RNA or protein sequencing.

Extinct bird species differed from still-existing birds by being larger, mostly restricted to islands, and often flightless. These factors made them especially vulnerable to human prosecution and to other anthropogenically related declines.[1]

Taxonomic list of Late Quaternary prehistoric birds

All of these birds are in Neornithes.

Paleognathes

Struthioniformes

The ostriches

†Aepyornithiformes

The elephant birds of Madagascar

†Dinornithiformes

The moa of New Zealand

†Gastornithiformes

An extinct order of giant flightless fowl.

Anseriformes

The group that includes modern ducks, geese and swans.

Pangalliformes

The group that includes modern chickens and quails.

True Galliformes

Charadriiformes

Gulls, auks and shorebirds

Charadrii

Scolopaci

Lari

Gruiformes

The group that includes modern rails and cranes.

Eurypygiformes

Procellariiformes

The group that includes modern albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels and storm petrels.

Sphenisciformes

Ciconiiformes

Suliformes

The group that includes modern boobies, gannets and cormorants.

Pelecaniformes

Cathartiformes

Phoenicopteriformes

The group that includes modern flamingos.

Mesitornithiformes

Columbiformes

Cuculiformes

Accipitriformes

Birds of prey

Caprimulgiformes

Nightjars and potoos

Aegotheliformes

Owlet-nightjars

Apodiformes

Swifts and hummingbirds.

Bucerotiformes

Hornbills and relatives. Formerly included in Coraciiformes.

Piciformes

Woodpeckers, puffbirds and jacamars.

Coraciiformes

Strigiformes

True owls and barn owls.

Falconiformes

Psittaciformes

Passeriformes

See also

References

General

External links

Notes and References

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  2. Buffetaut1 . Eric . Angst . Delphine. 2017 . How Large was the Giant Ostrich of China?. EVOLUÇÃO – Revista de Geistória e Pré-História . 2 . 1 . 6–8 . 9 January 2023.
  3. 10.1371/journal.pone.0164823. 28273082. 5342186. Ancient DNA Reveals Late Pleistocene Existence of Ostriches in Indian Sub-Continent. PLOS ONE. 12. 3 . e0164823. 2017. Jain . Sonal. Rai. Niraj . Kumar . Giriraj. Pruthi. Parul Aggarwal. Thangaraj. Kumarasamy. Bajpai. Sunil. Pruthi. Vikas. 2017PLoSO..1264823J. free.
  4. Hansford . J. P. . Turvey . S. T. . 2018-09-26 . Unexpected diversity within the extinct elephant birds (Aves: Aepyornithidae) and a new identity for the world's largest bird . . 5 . 9 . 181295 . 2018RSOS....581295H . 10.1098/rsos.181295 . 6170582 . 30839722.
  5. Grealy . Alicia . Miller . Gifford H. . Phillips . Matthew J. . Clarke . Simon J. . Fogel . Marilyn . Patalwala . Diana . Rigby . Paul . Hubbard . Alysia . Demarchi . Beatrice . Collins . Matthew . Mackie . Meaghan . Sakalauskaite . Jorune . Stiller . Josefin . Clarke . Julia A. . Legendre . Lucas J. . 2023-02-28 . Molecular exploration of fossil eggshell uncovers hidden lineage of giant extinct bird . Nature Communications . en . 14 . 1 . 914 . 10.1038/s41467-023-36405-3 . 2041-1723. free . 9974994 .
  6. 10.1126/science.283.5399.205. 9880249. Pleistocene Extinction of Genyornis newtoni: Human Impact on Australian Megafauna. Science. 283. 5399. 205–208. 1999-01-08. Miller . G. H.. Magee. J. W.. Johnson. B. J.. Fogel. M. L.. Spooner. N. A.. McCulloch. M. T.. Ayliffe. L. K..
  7. Web site: Paradise shelduck Pūtangitangi New Zealand Birds Online . 2023-03-30 . www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz.
  8. Emsile, Steven D. (1985). ”A New Species of Teal from the Pleistocene (Rancholabrean) of Wyoming” https://sora.unm.edu/node/24087
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  10. Guthrie, David A. . Thomas, Howell W. . Kennedy, George L. . 2000 . An extinct Late Pleistocene Puffin from the Southern California Channel Islands. (Aves: Alcidae). . Proceedings of a Fifth California Islands Symposium . 525–530 .
  11. Book: Olson, Storrs L. . Storrs L. Olson . A paleontological perspective of West Indian birds and mammals . Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Zoogeography in the Caribbean: The 1975 Leidy Medal Symposium . 1978 . Special Publication 13 . Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia . 1422317854. 99–117 [106] . https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/8455/VZ_85_Paleo_West_Indies.pdf .
  12. William Suárez . 2020 . The fossil avifauna of the tar seeps Las Breas de San Felipe, Matanzas, Cuba . Zootaxa . 4780 . 1 . zootaxa.4780.1.1 . 10.11646/zootaxa.4780.1.1 . 33055754 . 219510089 .
  13. Storrs L. . Olson . James, Helen F . 1991 . Descriptions of Thirty-Two New Species of Birds from the Hawaiian Islands: Part I. Non-Passeriformes . Ornithological Monographs . 45 . 45 . 10.2307/40166794 . 10088/1745 . 1–88. 40166794 .
  14. Boessenkool . Sanne . 2008 . Relict or colonizer? Extinction and range expansion of penguins in southern New Zealand . . 276 . 1658. 815–21. 10.1098/rspb.2008.1246 . 19019791 . 2664357 . etal.
  15. van Tets, G.F. . 1994 . An extinct new species of cormorant (Phalacrocoracidae, Aves) from a Western Australian peat swamp . Records of the South Australian Museum . 27 . 2 . 135–138 .
  16. Rawlence . Nicolas J. . Till . Charlotte E. . Easton . Luke J. . Spencer . Hamish G. . Schuckard . Rob . Melville . David S. . Scofield . R. Paul . Tennyson . Alan J.D. . Rayner . Matt J. . Waters . Jonathan M. . Kennedy . Martyn . Speciation, range contraction and extinction in the endemic New Zealand King Shag complex . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 2017 . 115 . 197–209 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.07.011 . 28803756.
  17. The Cuban fossil eagle Aquila borrasi Arredondo: A scaled-up version of the Great Black-Hawk Buteogallus urubitinga (Gmelin). 2007-04-20. Olson. Storrs L.. Suárez. William. Raptor Research Foundation. Journal of Raptor Research. 41. 4. 10.3356/0892-1016(2007)41[288:TCFEAB]2.0.CO;2. 288–298. 55380044 .
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  20. Olson, Storrs L. . 1985 . A new species of Siphonorhis from Quaternary cave deposits in Cuba (Aves: Caprimulgidae) . Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington . 98 . 2 . 526 - 532 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140903122027/http://extinct-website.com/pdf/65868a.pdf . 2014-09-03 . live.
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  25. Suárez . William . Olson . Storrs L. . Systematics and distribution of the living and fossil small barn owls of the West Indies (Aves: Strigiformes: Tytonidae) . Zootaxa . 2020 . 4830 . 3 . 544–564 . 10.11646/zootaxa.4830.3.4. 33056145 . 222819958 .
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  27. Wetmore, Alexander . 1937. Bird Remains from Cave Deposits on Great Exuma Island in the Bahamas . Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College . 80. 427–441.
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  29. Millener . P. R. . Contributions to New Zealand's Late Quaternary avifauna. 1: Pachyplichas, a new genus of wren (Aves: Acanthisittidae), with two new species . Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand . December 1988 . 18 . 4 . 383–406 . 10.1080/03036758.1988.10426464.
  30. Contributions to New Zealand's late Quaternary avifauna. II. Dendroscansor decurvirostris, a new genus and species of wren (Aves: Acanthisittidae).. Millener. P. R.. 1991. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 10.1080/03036758.1991.10431406. 21. 179–200. Worthy. T.H..
  31. 10.11646/zootaxa.3849.1.1 . 25112426 . Hume . J. P. . 2014 . Systematics, morphology, and ecological history of the Mascarene starlings (Aves: Sturnidae) with the description of a new genus and species from Mauritius . . 3849 . 1 . 1–75 .
  32. Rando. J.C. Pieper. H.. Olson. Storrs L.. Pereira. F.. Alcover. J.A.. 2017-06-27. A new extinct species of large bullfinch (Aves: Fringillidae: Pyrrhula) from Graciosa Island (Azores, North Atlantic Ocean). Zootaxa. en. 4282. 3. 567. 1175-5334. 10.11646/zootaxa.4282.3.9.
  33. Rando. J. C.. Lopez . M. . Segui . B. . February 1999. A New Species of Extinct Flightless Passerine. The Condor. 101. 1. 1 - 13. 2008-08-01. 10.2307/1370440. 1370440.