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Giant late Eocene marine birds (Pelecaniformes: Pelagornithidae) from northwestern Oregon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2016

James L. Goedert
James L. Goedert*
Affiliation:
15207 84th Avenue Ct. NW, Gig Harbor, Washington 98335 and Museum Associate, Section of Vertebrate Paleontology, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90007
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Abstract

Fossil bird bones from the late Eocene Keasey Formation and the latest Eocene Pittsburg Bluff Formation in northwestern Oregon are the earliest records of the pelecaniform family Pelagornithidae for the Pacific Basin. These fossils also represent the first late Eocene records of the family from the Northern Hemisphere, the second late Eocene record worldwide, and indicate that these animals were among the largest of flying birds. Unfortunately, the fragmentary condition of these fossils and the currently confused state of pelagornithid systematics prevents the assignment of these specimens to new species at this time.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Paleontology , Volume 63 , Issue 6 , November 1989 , pp. 939 - 944
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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