The extinct Messelirrisor is a genus of Bucerotiformes, the sole representative of the family Messelirrisoridae. They were tiny hoopoe-like birds that were the earliest representatives of the hoopoe/wood-hoopoe lineage, and they were among the predominant small forest birds of Central Europe during the Middle Eocene (some 49-37 mya). Fossilized remains of Messelirrisor have been found in the Messel Pit of Hesse, Germany.
| Messelirrisor Temporal range: Middle Eocene,
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|---|---|
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| Fossil of Messelirrisor halcyrostris | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Bucerotiformes |
| Family: | †Messelirrisoridae Mayr, 1998 |
| Genus: | †Messelirrisor Mayr, 1998 |
| Type species | |
| Messelirrisor halcyrostris Mayr, 1998
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| Other species | |
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Sources
editThis article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (January 2021) |
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (January 2021) |
- Mayr, Gerald (1 October 2000). "Tiny Hoopoe-Like Birds From the Middle Eocene of Messel (Germany)". The Auk. 117 (4): 964–970. doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2000)117[0964:THLBFT]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 4089635. INIST 1528405.
External links
edit- Specimen photo. Retrieved 2007-AUG-22.
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