| Pelagornithidae Temporal range: Paleocene-Pleistocene | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | †Odontopterygiformes |
| Family: | †Pelagornithidae |
Pelagornithidae is a widespread family of extinct pseudotoothed birds that lived for nearly 60 million years, evolving in the Paleocene and going extinct in the Pleistocene about 2.5 million years ago.
Description[]
Pelagornithids can be recognized by the points on their beaks the resemble beak, hence the name “Psuedotoothed birds”. Pelagornithids were massive birds with even the smallest rivaling the sizes of the largest flying birds today. The largest was Pelagornis sandersi, with a wingspan of 7 meters (23 feet), which also gives it the largest wingspan of any known bird[1].
Classification[]
Pelagornithids are part of the extinct order Odontopterygiformes. The exact relationships of pelagornithids is not yet fully understood. It has been proposed that they were relatives of pelicans and later waterfowl, however recent studies have suggested that they are most closely related to the extinct Ichthyornis, or may not even be birds at all but a whole new clade of dinosaurs[2].