Masillaraptoridae Explained

Masillaraptoridae is an extinct family of stem-group falconiform birds from the Eocene of Europe. They are noted for their relatively long legs. Two genera have been named: Danielsraptor, from the London Clay of England, and Masillaraptor, from Messel Pit in Germany.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Description

Masillaraptorids had long legs, which may indicate that they had a terrestrial lifestyle, foraging on the ground similar to modern caracaras. They had large pygostyles, suggesting that they would have likely had long tail feathers. This, in addition to their long ulnae, suggest that they were capable of well-developed flight. Their beaks are similar to those of extinct phorusrhacids and extant caracaras.^[3]

Classification

The cladogram below displays the phylogenetic position of Masillaraptoridae within the Falconiformes:^[3]

Notes and References

1. Mayr . Gerald . January 2006 . A new raptorial bird from the Middle Eocene of Messel, Germany . Historical Biology . en . 18 . 2 . 99–106 . 10.1080/08912960600640762 . 2006HBio...18...99M . 34895565 . 0891-2963.
2. Mayr . Gerald . 2009-05-20 . A well-preserved second trogon skeleton (Aves, Trogonidae) from the middle Eocene of Messel, Germany . Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments . 89 . 1–2 . 1–6 . 10.1007/s12549-009-0001-9 . 2009PdPe...89....1M . 73722121 . 1867-1594.
3. Mayr . Gerald . Kitchener . Andrew C. . 2022-07-08 . New fossils from the London Clay show that the Eocene Masillaraptoridae are stem group representatives of falcons (Aves, Falconiformes) . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 41 . 6 . en . e2083515 . 10.1080/02724634.2021.2083515 . 250402777 . 0272-4634. free .