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Birds from the Baynunah Formation.

Louchart, A., Bibi, F. and Stewart, J. R., 2022. Birds from the Baynunah Formation. In: Delson, E. and Sargis, E. J., eds. Sands of Time. Cham: Springer, 125-139.

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Louchart et al 2022 Abu Dhabi Miocene birds.pdf - Accepted Version
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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83883-6_9

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-83883-6_9

Abstract

The late Miocene Baynunah Formation in western Abu Dhabi Emirate (United Arab Emirates) has yielded new bird fossils, including both skeletal and eggshell remains that we describe here, together with a revision and summary of previous findings. A ratite pelvis is characterized by its larger size compared with extant ostriches and is assigned to Struthio cf. karatheodoris. Fossil eggshells belong to the ootaxon Diamantornis laini as well as to an aepyornithoid type. Diamantornis laini is previously recorded from contemporaneous sites in Africa, and aepyornithoid eggshells are widespread across Neogene sites in Eurasia and Africa. Neognath birds are represented by three taxa, a cormorant Phalacrocorax sp. (size of P. fuscicollis), a darter Anhinga cf. hadarensis, and a heron of the tribe Nycticoracini. The darter attests to a link with Africa, being tentatively referred to a fossil species known from East Africa. The Baynunah birds provide valuable information on the biogeographic origins of different components of the avifauna in the late Miocene, near the junction between the Palaearctic, Indomalayan and Afrotropical zoogeographical regions.

Item Type:Book Section
ISBN:978-3-030-83882-9, 978-3-030-83883-6
Series Name:Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology
Group:Faculty of Science & Technology
ID Code:38329
Deposited By: Symplectic RT2
Deposited On:19 Dec 2023 09:54
Last Modified:08 Jun 2024 01:08

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