| Mopsitta Temporal range: Early Eocene | |
|---|---|
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| Image of Mopsitta's parrot reconstruction by David Waterhouse | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Family: | †Psittacidae(?) |
| Genus: | †Mopsitta Waterhouse et al, 2008 |
| Type species | |
| †Mopsitta tanta Waterhouse et al, 2008 | |
Mopsitta is an extinct genus of bird from the Early Eocene of Denmark. The type and only species is M. tanta
Description[]
The Mopsitta holotype is a large humerus. The humerus shares multiple similarities, with the exception of size, with the humerus of Rhyncaeites, a prehistoric ibis relative. Due to this, the hypothesis of Mopsitta being one of the earliest parrots is doubted, especially with a lack of of psittacid elements on the holotype. So far, the taxonomic placement of Mopsitta is still unknown.
Paleoecology[]
If Mopsitta was an ibis relative, it would likely behave as such, and wade through shallows catching prey.
Gallery[]
A reconstruction of Mopsitta as an ibis relative by Jack Wood