Taxonomic ordering of the Order Strigiformes as follows:
Order Strigiformes
Suborder Striginae
Parvorder Tytonida
Family Tytonidae
Subfamily Necrobyinae (Necrobyas, Nocturnavis)
Subfamily Selenornithinae (Selenornis)
Subfamily Tytoninae (Prosybris, Tyto)
Parvorder Strigida
Family Palaeoglaucidae (Palaeoglaux)
Family Sophiornithidae (Berruornis, Palaeobyas, Sophiornis, Palaeotyto)
Family Protostrigidae (Minerva, Eostrix, Oligostrix)
Family Ogygoptyngidae (Ogygoptynx)
Family Strigidae (the fossil genera Alasio, Intulula, Mioglaux, Grallistrix, Ornimegalonyx, Mascarenotus; plus Modern Strigidae genera: Otus, Bubo, Strix, Pulsatrix, Surnia, Glaucidium, Athene, Aegolius, and Asio).
List of Tables
Table 1. List of fossil owls with valid taxa in Tytonidae and Strigidae as of 15 October 2007.
Table 2. Bird fossils that have not been fully verified (or cannot be fully verified), and currently remain Incertae Sedis (of uncertain taxonomic position).
Table 3. Fossils of species that were initially placed in Strigiformes, but have since been transferred to other groups.
Table 4. Owl taxa that are Nomen Nudum (classification yet unsupported).
Interesting fossil owl literature not mentioned before.
Table 1. List of fossil owls with valid taxa in Tytonidae and Strigidae as of 15 October 2007.
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Familia Tytonidae Ridgway, 1914 . |
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Subfamilia Necrobyinae. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1987. Les Strigiformes (Aves) des Phosphorites du Quercy (France): Systématique, Biostratigraphie et Paléobiogéographie. Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie, Lyon 99: 89-135. Remarks: While Cécile Mourer-Chauviré did not describe the subfamily Necrobyinae in the text of her 1987 paper, in Figure 8 (the phylogenetic tree) on page 125, the Tytonidae are split into the subfamilies Palaeoglaucinae, Seleornithinae, Necrobyinae, Phodilinae and Tytoninae. |
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Genus Necrobyas |
Genus Necrobyas Milne-Edwards, 1892. |
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Synonym: Paratyto Brodkorb, 1970. Brodkorb, Pierce. 1970. Two Fossil Owls from the Aquitanian of France. Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences 32: 159-160. |
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Placed in Necrobyas by Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1987. Les Strigiformes (Aves) des Phosphorites du Quercy (France): Systématique, Biostratigraphie et Paléobiogéographie. Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie, Lyon 99: 89-135. |
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Necrobyas harpax |
Species: Necrobyas harpax Milne-Edwards, 1892. |
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The typespecies of Necrobyas Milne-Edwards, 1892 was designated by Richmond in 1902. Richmond, C.W. 1902. List of generic terms proposed for birds during the years 1890-1900 inclusive, to which are added names omitted by Waterhouse in his "Index Generum Avium". Proceedings of the United States National Museum 24: 663-729. |
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Synonym: Necrobyas Rossignoli Milne Edwards, 1892. Milne-Edwards, Alphonse.1892. Sur les Oiseaux Fossiles des Dêpots Éocènes de Phosphate de Chaux du Sud de la France. C.R. second Congr. ornithol. intern. Budapest, p. 60-80. |
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Synonymy by Mlíkovský, 1998. Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1998. A New Barn Owl (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of Germany, with Comments on the Fossil History of the Tytoninae. Journal für Ornithologie 139: 247-261. |
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Necrobyas arvernensis
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Species - New and present combination: Necrobyas arvernensis (Milne-Edwards, 1863). |
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Placed in Necrobyas by Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1987. Les Strigiformes (Aves) des Phosphorites du Quercy (France): Systématique, Biostratigraphie etPaléobiogéographie. Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie, Lyon 99: 89-135. |
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New combination: Paratyto arvernensis (Milne-Edwards, 1863) by Brodkorb, 1970. Brodkorb, Pierce. 1970. Two Fossil Owls from the Aquitanian of France. Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences 32: 159-160. |
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Synonym: Necrobyas Edwardsi Gaillard, 1939. Gaillard, Claude. 1939. Contribution à l'Étude des Oiseaux Fossiles. Archives du Museum d’Histoire Naturelle de Lyon 15: 1-100. |
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Synonymy by Mlíkovský, 1998. Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1998. A New Barn Owl (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of Germany, with Comments on the Fossil History of the Tytoninae. Journal für Ornithologie 139: 247-261. |
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Genus Nocturnavis |
Genus Nocturnavis Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. |
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Nocturnavis incerta(1) |
Species - New and present combination: Nocturnavis incerta (Milne-Edwards, 1892). |
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Placed in Nocturnavis by Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1987. Les Strigiformes (Aves) des Phosphorites du Quercy (France): Systématique, Biostratigraphie etPaléobiogéographie. Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie, Lyon 99: 89-135. |
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Subfamilia Selenornithinae Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. |
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Genus Selenornis |
Genus Selenornis Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. |
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Selenornis henrici
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Species - New and present combination: Selenornis henrici (Milne-Edwards, 1892). Cécile Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. |
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New combination: Asio henrici (Milne-Edwards, 1892): Gaillard, 1908. Gaillard, Claude. 1908. Les Oiseaux des Phosphorites du Quercy. Annales de l’Université de Lyon, nouvelle série 1, fascicule 23: 1-178. |
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New combination: Selenornis henrici by Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1987. Les Strigiformes (Aves) des Phosphorites du Quercy (France): Systématique, Biostratigraphie etPaléobiogéographie. Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie, Lyon 99: 89-135. |
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Subfamilia Tytoninae | Subfamilia Tytonidae Ridgway, 1914. [modern subfamily.] Ridgway, Robert. 1914. Bulletin of the U.S. National Museum, No.50, Birds of North and Middle America, Part 6, p.598-600. |
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Genus Prosybris |
Genus Prosybris Brodkorb, 1970. |
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Prosybris media
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Species - new and present combination: Prosybris media (Mourer-Chauviré, 1987). |
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Placed in Prosybris by Mlíkovský, 1998. Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1998. A New Barn Owl (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of Germany, with Comments on the Fossil History of the Tytoninae. Journal für Ornithologie 139: 247-261. |
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Prosybris media is based on a part of Otus [Asio] henrici Milne-Edwards, 1892. Milne-Edwards, Alphonse.1892. Sur les Oiseaux Fossiles des Dêpots Éocènes de Phosphate de Chaux du Sud de la France. C.R. second Congr. ornithol. intern. Budapest, p. 60-80. |
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Synonym: Necrobyas medius Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1987. Les Strigiformes (Aves) des Phosphorites du Quercy (France): Systématique, Biostratigraphie etPaléobiogéographie. Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie, Lyon 99: 89-135. |
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Prosybris antique
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Species, new and present combination: Prosybris antiqua (Milne-Edwards, 1869). |
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Placed in Prosybris as the typespecies by Brodkorb, 1970. Brodkorb, Pierce. 1970. Two Fossil Owls from the Aquitanian of France. Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences 32: 159-160. |
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Synonym: Necrobyas minimus Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1987. Les Strigiformes (Aves) des Phosphorites du Quercy (France): Systématique, Biostratigraphie etPaléobiogéographie. Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie, Lyon 99: 89-135. |
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Synonymy by Jirí Mlíkovský, 1998. Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1998. A New Barn Owl (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of Germany, with Comments on the Fossil History of the Tytoninae. Journal für Ornithologie 139: 247-261. |
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Genus Tyto |
Genus Tyto Billberg, 1828 . |
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Tyto sanctialbani |
Species: Tyto sanctialbani (Lydekker, 1893). |
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Placed in Tyto by Ballmann, 1969. [Tyto sanctialbani Ballmann 1969] Ballmann, Peter. 1969: Les Oiseaux Miocènes de la Grive-Saint-Alban (Isère). Geobios 2: 157-204 (pg. 191). |
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Synonym: Tyto campiterrae Jánossy, 1991. Jánossy, Dénes. 1991. Late Miocene Bird Remains from Polgárdi (W-Hungary). Aquila 98: 13-35. |
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Synonymy by Jirí Mlíkovský, 1998 Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1998. A New Barn Owl (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of Germany, with Comments on the Fossil History of the Tytoninae. Journal für Ornithologie 139: 247-261. |
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Tyto balearica |
Species: Tyto balearica Mourer-Chauviré, Alcover, Moyà & Pons, 1980. |
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Tyto balearica cyrneichnusae |
Subspecies: Tyto balearica cyrneichnusae Louchart, 2002. |
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Tyto robusta |
Species: Tyto robusta Ballmann, 1973. |
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Remarks: Tyto robusta was placed in synonymy with Tyto gigantea by Mlíkovský, 1998. This synonymy was reversed (undone) by Pavia & Göhlich, 2005. |
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Tyto gigantea |
Species: Tyto gigantea Ballmann, 1973. |
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Tyto alba |
Species: Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769). |
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Synonym: Strix melitensis Lydekker, 1891. Lydekker, R. 1891. Catalogue of the Fossil Birds in the British Museum (Natural History). London, British Museum XXVII 368 pg. |
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Placed in Tyto by Brodkorb, 1970. Brodkorb, Pierce. 1970. Two Fossil Owls from the Aquitanian of France. Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences 32: 159-160. |
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Synonymy by Jirí Mlíkovský, 1998 Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1998. A New Barn Owl (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of Germany, with Comments on the Fossil History of the Tytoninae. Journal für Ornithologie 139: 247-261. |
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Synonym: Lechusa stirtoni Miller, 1956. Miller, Loye H. 1956. A Collection of Bird Remains from the Pliocene of San Diego, California . Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 28(16):615-621. |
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Lechusa stirtoni was placed into synonymy with Tyto alba by Chandler 1982. Chandler, R.M. 1982. A Reevaluation of the Pliocene Owl Lechusa stirtoni Miller. Auk 99:580-581. | ||
Synonym: Palaeophoyx columbiana McCoy, 1963. Remarks: Palaeophoyx columbiana is a coracoïd and an ulna, the coracoïd is from Botaurus lentiginosus Rackett, 1813; the ulna is from Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769). |
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Tyto jinniushanensis |
Species: Tyto jinniushanensis Hou, 1993. |
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Tyto mourerchauvireae |
Species: Tyto mourerchauvireae Pavia, 2004. |
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Tyto ostologa |
Species: Tyto ostologa Wetmore, 1922. |
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Tyto pollens |
Species: Tyto pollens Wetmore 1937. |
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Tyto noeli |
Species: Tyto noeli Arredondo, 1972. |
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Tyto riveroi |
Species: Tyto riveroi Arredondo, 1972. |
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Tyto neddi |
Species: Tyto neddi Steadman & Hilgartner, 1999. |
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Tyto cavatica |
Species: Tyto cavatica Wetmore, 1920. |
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Tyto ? letocarti |
Species: Tyto ? letocarti Balouet & Olson, 1989. |
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Familia Palaeoglaucidae (Mourer-Chauviré, 1987). |
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Remarks: It was described as a subfamily Palaeoglaucinae, but Peters (1992) raised it to a full family. Peters, Dieter Stefan. 1992. A New Species of Owl (Aves: Strigiformes) from the Middle Eocene Messel Oil Shale. In Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring Pierce Brodkorb. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Science series No 36: 161-169. |
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Genus Palaeoglaux |
Genus Palaeoglaux Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. |
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Palaeoglaux artophoron |
Species: Palaeoglaux artophoron Peters, 1992. |
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Palaeoglaux perrierensis |
Species: Palaeoglaux perrierensis Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. (The typespecies of the genus). |
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Familia Sophiornithidae Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. |
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Genus Berruornis |
Genus Berruornis Mourer-Chauviré, 1994. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1994. A Large Owl from the Paleocene of France. Palaeontology 37: 339-348. |
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Berruornis halbedeli |
Species: Berruornis halbedeli Mayr, 2007. |
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Remarks: In 2002 Gerald Mayr gave a detailed description of the taxon, but did not name it at that time. What is described in the 2002 paper is what is mentioned in Mayr, 2007 under the remarks for BERRUORNIS HALBEDELI, sp. nov.: WAL01.2001 was described in detail by Mayr (2002) who substantiated its assignment to Berruornis Mourer-Chauviré, 1994, an apomorphy of which is he presence of a perforation in the crista medialis hypotarsi. Assignment of Berruornis to the Strigiformes can be established with the presumably derived absence of a pons supratendineus on the distal tibiotarsus, the morphology of the hypotarsus, and the configuration of the tarsometatarsal trochleae (see Mourer-Chauviré, 1994). Its classification into the Sophiornithidae (Mourer-Chauviré, 1994), however, is largely based on overall similarity and needs to be substantiated with derived characters. As detailed by Mourer-Chauviré (1994), Berruornis and Sophiornis Mourer-Chauviré, 1987, the type genus of the Sophiornithidae, differ in numerous features, of which at least the less plantarly deflected trochleae metatarsorum II et IV may indicate a sister group relationship between Berruornis and other strigiform birds. WAL02.2001 is the “upper beak of a bird of prey” mentioned by Weigelt (1939; see introduction) and was also described by Mayr (2002). It comes from a species of similar size to Berruornis halbedeli to which it is here tentatively assigned. As detailed by Mayr (2002), the specimen differs significantly from the beak of crown group Strigiformes, with which it however shares the presence of two large oval openings inside the tip of the rostrum, at the caudal end of the praemaxillary symphysis (Fig. 1F). There are no other similar-sized birds in the Walbeck material. Mayr, Gerald. 2002. An Owl from the Paleocene of Walbeck, Germany. Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Geowissenschaftliche Reihe 5: 281-286. |
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Berruornis orbisantiqui |
Species: Berruornis orbisantiqui Mourer-Chauviré, 1994. (The typespecies of the genus). |
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Genus Palaeobyas |
Genus Palaeobyas Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. |
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Palaeobyas cracrafti |
Species: Palaeobyas cracrafti Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. (The typespecies of the genus). |
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Remarks: Jirí Mlíkovský 1998 transferred the genus from the Tytonidae to the Sophiornithidae. Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1998: A New Barn Owl (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of Germany, with Comments on the Fossil History of the Tytoninae. Journal für Ornithologie 139: 247-261. |
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Genus Sophiornis |
Genus Sophiornis Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. (The typegenus of the family). |
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Sophiornis quercynus |
Species: Sophiornis quercynus Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. (The typespecies of the genus). |
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Genus Palaeotyto |
Genus Palaeotyto Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. |
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Palaeotyto cadurcensis |
Species: Palaeotyto cadurcensis Mourer-Chauviré, 1987. (The typespecies of the genus) |
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Remarks: Mlíkovský, 1998 transferred the genus from the Tytonidae to the Sophiornithidae. Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1998. A New Barn Owl (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of Germany, with Comments on the Fossil History of the Tytoninae. Journal für Ornithologie 139: 247-261. |
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Familia Protostrigidae Wetmore, 1933. (Typegenus is Protostrix Wetmore, 1933.) |
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Genus Minerva |
Genus Minerva Shufeldt, 1915. |
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Synonym: Protostrix Wetmore, 1933. Wetmore, Alexander. 1933. The Status of Minerva antiqua, Aquila ferox and Aquila lydekkeri as Fossil Birds. American Museum Novitates 680:1-4. |
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Minerva antiqua |
Species: Minerva antiqua (Shufeldt, 1913). |
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Placed in Minerva by Shufeldt, 1915. Shufeldt, Robert Wilson. 1915. Fossil Birds in the Marsh Collection of Yale University. Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences 19: 1-110, pls. i-xv. |
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Placed in Protostrix by Wetmore, 1933. Wetmore, Alexander. 1933. The Status of Minerva antiqua, Aquila ferox and Aquila lydekkeri as Fossil Birds. American Museum Novitates 680:1-4. |
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Placed in Minerva by Cécile Mourer-Chauviré, 1983. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1983. Minerva antiqua (Aves: Strigiformes), an Owl Mistaken for an Edentate Mammal. American Museum Novitates 2773: 1-11. |
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Synonym: Aquila ferox Shufeldt, 1913. Shufeldt, Robert Wilson. 1913. Further Studies of Fossil Birds with Descriptions of New and Extinct Species. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History Vol. 32(16): 285-306, plates 51-59. |
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Minerva lydekkeri |
Species: Minerva lydekkeri Shufeldt, 1913. |
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Wetmore, 1933 placed the species in Protostrix as the typespecies of this genus. Alexander Wetmore. 1933. The Status of Minerva antiqua, Aquila ferox and Aquila lydekkeri as Fossil Birds. American Museum Novitates 680:1-4. |
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Species placed in Minerva by Mourer-Chauviré, 1983. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1983. Minerva antiqua (Aves: Strigiformes), an Owl Mistaken for an Edentate Mammal. American Museum Novitates 2773: 1-11. |
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Minerva leptosteus |
Species: Minerva leptosteus (Marsh, 1871). |
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Placed in Protostrix by Wetmore, 1937. Wetmore, Alexander. 1937. The Systematic Position of Bubo leptosteus Marsh. The Condor 39(2): 84-85. |
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Placed back in Minerva by Mourer-Chauviré, 1983. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1983. Minerva antiqua (Aves: Strigiformes), an Owl Mistaken for an Edentate Mammal. American Museum Novitates 2773: 1-11. |
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Minerva saurodosis |
Species: Minerva saurodosis Wetmore, 1921. |
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Remarks: Placed in Protostrix by Wetmore, 1933. Wetmore, Alexander. 1933. The Status of Minerva antiqua, Aquila ferox and Aquila lydekkeri as Fossil Birds. American Museum Novitates 680:1-4. |
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Placed back in Minerva by Mourer-Chauviré, 1983. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1983. Minerva antiqua (Aves: Strigiformes), an Owl Mistaken for an Edentate Mammal. American Museum Novitates 2773: 1-11. |
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Minerva californiensis |
Species: Minerva californiensis (Howard, 1965). |
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Placed in Minerva by Mourer-Chauviré, 1983. Mourer-Chauviré , Cécile. 1983. Minerva antiqua (Aves: Strigiformes), an Owl Mistaken for an Edentate Mammal. American Museum Novitates 2773: 1-11. |
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Genus Eostrix |
Genus Eostrix Brodkorb, 1971. |
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Eostrix mimica |
Species: Eostrix mimica (Wetmore, 1938). |
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Remarks: It is the typespecies of Eostrix and was transferred to Eostrix by Brodkorb, 1971. Brodkorb, Pierce. 1971. Catalogue of Fossil Birds. Part 4 (Columbiformes through Piciformes). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences 15: 163-266 (pg. 214). |
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Eostrix martinellii |
Species: Eostrix martinellii Martin & Black, 1972. |
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Genus Oligostrix |
Genus Oligostrix Fischer, 1983. |
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Oligostrix rupeliensis (1) |
Species: Oligostrix rupeliensis Fischer, 1983. |
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Familia Ogygoptyngidae Rich & Bohaska, 1981. |
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Genus Ogygoptynx |
Genus Ogygoptynx Rich & Bohaska, 1976. |
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Ogygoptynx wetmorei |
Species: Ogygoptynx wetmorei Rich & Bohaska, 1976. |
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Familia Strigidae Leach, 1820. |
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Genus Otus |
Genus Otus Pennant, 1769 . |
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Otus guildayi |
Species: Otus guildayi Brodkorb & Mourer-Chauviré, 1984. |
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Otus wintershofensis (1) |
Species: Otus wintershofensis (Ballmann, 1969). |
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Genus Bubo |
Genus Bubo Duméril, 1806 . |
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Synonyms: Genus Ketupa Lesson, 1830. Lesson, René Primevère. 1830. Traité d'Ornithologie (Traité d'Orn.): livraison 1, p 114. |
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Fossil synonym: Ophtalmomegas Dehaut, 1911. Dehaut, E G. 1911. Animaux fossiles du Cap Figari. Matériaux pour Servir à l’Histoire Zoologique et Paléontologique des îles de Corse et de Sardaigne 3: 53-59. |
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Bubo bubo davidi |
Fossil subspecies: Bubo bubo davidi Mourer-Chauviré, 1975. |
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Fossil synonym: Bubo lignitum (Giebel, 1860). Originally described as Ardea lignitum. Giebel, C.G. 1860. Zur Fauna der Braunkohlenformation von Rippersroda in Thüringen. Zeitschrift für die Gesammten Naturwissenschaften 16: 147-153. |
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Transfered to Bubo by Brodkorb, 1980. Brodkorb, Pierce. 1980. A New Fossil Heron (Aves: Ardeidae) from the Omo Basin of Ethiopia, with Remarks on the Position of Some Oher Species Assigned to the Ardeidae. Museum of Natural History of Los Angeles County, Contributions in Science 330: 87-92. |
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Placed in synonymy with Bubo bubo by Mlikovský, 1992. Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1992. The Present State of Knowledge of the Tertiary Birds of Central Europe. In Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring Pierce Brodkorb. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Science Series 36: 433-458. |
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Bubo binagadensis |
Species: Bubo binagadensis Burchak-Abramovich, 1965. |
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Bubo osvaldoi |
Species: Bubo osvaldoi Arredondo & Olson, 1994. |
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Bubo virginianus |
Species: Bubo virginianus (Gmelin, 1788). |
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Fossil synonym: Bubo sinclairi L.H. Miller, 1911. Miller, Loye Holmes, 1911. Avifauna of the Pleistocene Cave Deposits of California. University of California Publications, Department of Geology 6(16): 385-400. |
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Bubo sinclairi placed in synonymy with Bubo virginianus by Brodkorb & Mourer-Chauviré, 1984. Brodkorb, Pierce & Cécile Mourer-Chauviré. 1984. Fossil Owls from Early Man Sites of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Ostrich 55(1): 17-27. |
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Bubo leakeyae |
Species: Bubo leakeyae Brodkorb & Mourer-Chauviré, 1984. |
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Bubo perpasta (1) |
Strix? ( = Bubo) perpasta Ballmann, 1976. |
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Bubo insularis (1) |
Bubo insularis Mourer-Chauviré & Weesie, 1986 . |
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Fossil synonym: Ophtalmomegas lamarmorae Dehaut, 1911. Dehaut, E G. 1911. Animaux fossiles du Cap Figari. Matériaux pour Servir à l’Histoire Zoologique et Paléontologique des îles de Corse et de Sardaigne 3: 53-59. |
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Remarks: Ophtalmomegas lamarmorae Dehaut, 1911 was described as a Primate. The lectotypical skull was recognized by Schaub & Azzaroli (in Comaschi Caria 1969, 1970) as being from a bird and Pavia, 1999 identified the skull as Bubo insularis Mourer-Chauviré & Weesie, 1986. Pavia, Marco. 1999. Un cranio di Bubo insularis Mourer-Chauviré & Weesie, 1986 (Aves, Strigidae) nelle brecce ossifere del Pleistocene di Capo Figari (Sardegna, Italia). Atti della Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, 133: 1-10. In his 1999 publication, Pavia noted that Ophtalmomegas lamarmorae Dehaut, 1911 is an owl and placed it in Bubo as Bubo lamarmorae (Dehaut, 1911). He then goes on to synonymize this species with Bubo insularis Mourer-Chauviré & Weesie, 1986. Support for this is in that he states that O. lamarmorae Dehaut, 1911 is a Nomen Oblitum (a forgotten name) and proposed keeping Bubo insularis Mourer-Chauviré & Weesie, 1986 as the valid name. One of the rules in calling a name a Nomen Oblitum is that it has not been used in the last 50 years; Pavia 1999, page 5, shows that the name O. lamarmorae Dehaut, 1911 had not been used since 1920. |
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Bubo scandiacus gallicus |
Species: Bubo scandiacus (Linnaeus, 1758). |
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Fossil subspecies: Bubo scandicus gallicus (Mourer-Chauviré, 1975). Original name: Nyctea scandiaca gallica Mourer-Chauviré, 1975. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1975. Les Oiseaux du Pléistocène Moyen et Supérieur de France. Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie de la Faculté des Sciences de Lyon 64 1er et 2ème fascicule: 1-624. |
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Genus Alasio |
Genus Alasio Mlikovský, 1998. |
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Alasio collongensis |
Species: Alasio collongensis (Ballmann, 1972). |
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Placed in Alasio by Mlíkovský, 1998. Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1998. Two New Owls (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of the Czech Republic, With Comments on the Fossil History of the Subfamily Striginae. Buteo 10: 5-22. |
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Genus Strix |
Genus Strix Linnaeus, 1758. |
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Strix dakota |
Species: Strix dakota A.H. Miller, 1944. |
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Strix edwardsi |
Species: Strix edwardsi (Ennouchi, 1930). Remarks: Ennouchi described the species in the genus Strix auct. [ = Tyto Billberg, 1828], not in Strix [Linnaeus, 1758.]. |
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Brodkorb, 1971 transferred it to Tyto. Brodkorb, Pierce. 1971. Catalogue of Fossil Birds. Part 4 (Columbiformes through Piciformes). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences 15: 163-266 (pg. 214). |
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Mlikovský, 1998 transferred it to Strix Linnaeus, 1758. Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1998. Two New Owls (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of the Czech Republic, With Comments on the Fossil History of the Subfamily Striginae. Buteo 10: 5-21. |
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Strix brea |
Species: Strix brea Howard, 1933. |
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Strix intermedia (1) |
Strix intermedia Jánossy, 1972 . |
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Genus Intulula |
Genus Intulula Mlikovský, 1998. |
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Intulula tinnipara |
Species: Intulula tinnipara Mlíkovský, 1998. |
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Intulula brevis |
Species: Intulula brevis (Ballmann, 1969). |
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Mlikovský, 1998 transferred it to Intulula. Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1998. Two new owls (Aves: Strigidae) from the early Miocene of the Czech Republic, with comments on the fossil history of the subfamily Striginae. Buteo 10: 5-22. |
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Genus Mioglaux |
Genus Mioglaux Mlikovský, 1998. |
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Mioglaux poirrieri |
Species: Mioglaux poirrieri (Milne-Edwards, 1863). |
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Mlikovský, 1998 tranferred it to Mioglaux. Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1998. Two new owls (Aves: Strigidae) from the early Miocene of the Czech Republic, with comments on the fossil history of the subfamily Striginae. Buteo 10: 5-22. |
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Mioglaux debellatrix |
Species: Mioglaux debellatrix Mlíkovský, 1998. |
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Genus Grallistrix |
Genus Grallistrix Olson & James, 1991 . |
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Grallistrix auceps |
Species: Grallistrix auceps Olson & James, 1991. |
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Grallistrix orion |
Species: Grallistrix orion Olson & James, 1991. |
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Grallistrix geleches |
Species: Grallistrix geleches Olson & James, 1991. |
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Grallistrix erdmani |
Species: Grallistrix erdmani Olson & James, 1991. |
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Genus Ornimegalonyx |
Genus Ornimegalonyx Arredondo, 1958. |
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Ornimegalonyx oteroi |
Species: Ornimegalonyx oteroi Arredondo, 1958. Remarks: sometimes called Ornimegalonyx arredondoi Arredondo, 1958, a rejected name based on the same lectotype. |
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Ornimegalonyx acevedoi |
Species: Ornimegalonyx acevedoi Arredondo, 1982. |
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Ornimegalonyx minor |
Species: Ornimegalonyx minor Arredondo, 1982. |
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Ornimegalonyx gigas |
Species: Ornimegalonyx gigas Arredondo, 1982. |
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Genus Pulsatrix |
Genus Pulsatrix Kaup, 1848 . |
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Pulsatrix arredondoi |
Species: Pulsatrix arredondoi Brodkorb, 1969. |
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Genus Surnia |
Genus Surnia Duméril, 1806 . |
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Surnia robusta |
Species: Surnia robusta Jánossy, 1977. |
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Surnia capeki |
Species: Surnia capeki Jánossy, 1972. |
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Genus Glaucidium |
Genus Glaucidium Boie, 1826. |
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Glaucidium explorator |
Species: Glaucidium explorator Emslie, 1998. |
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Genus Athene [includes former Genus Speotyto] |
Genus Athene Boie, 1822 . |
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Athene angelis |
Species: Athene angelis Mourer-Chauviré, Salotti, Pereira, Quinif, Courtois, Dubois & La Milza, 1997. |
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Athene trinacriae |
Species: Athene trinacriae Pavia & Mourer-Chauviré, 2002. |
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Athene noctua lunellensis |
Species: Athene noctua (Scopoli, 1769). |
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Fossil subspecies: Athene noctua lunellensis Mourer-Chauviré, 1975. Cécile Mourer-Chauviré, 1975. Les Oiseaux du Pléistocène Moyen et Supérieur de France: Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie de la Faculté des Sciences de Lyon 64 1er et 2ème fascicule: 1-624. |
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Athene cretensis |
Species: Athene cretensis Weesie, 1982. |
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Athene [Speotyto] megalopeza |
Species: Speotyto megalopeza Ford, 1966. Remarks: Alan Feduccia 1970 thinks this is a temporal subspecies of Speotyto cunicularia (Molina, 1782) because Speotyto cunicularia intermedia Feduccia, 1970, is intermediate in size between Speotyto megalopeza Ford, 1966 and Speotyto cunicularia (Molina, 1782). Speotyto megalopeza Ford, 1966 is a bit larger than Speotyto cunicularia (Molina, 1782). |
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Athene cunicularia |
Species: Speotyto cunicularia (Molina, 1782). |
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Fossil synonym: Glaucidium dickinsoni Brodkorb 1959:358. Fossil synonym: Otus providentiae Brodkorb, 1959:360. Brodkorb, Pierce. 1959. Pleistocene Birds from New Providence Island, Bahamas. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences 4(11): 349-371. |
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Otus providentiae and Glaucidium dickinsoni were placed into synonymy with Speotyto cunicularia by Olson & Pregill 1982. Olson, Storrs L. and Gregory K. Pregill. 1982. Fossil vertebrates from the Bahamas. In S.L. Olson (ed.), Smithsonian contributions to paleobiology no. 48. Smithsonian Institution Press. 1982. iii, 65 p. : ill. ; 26 cm. |
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Athene [Speotyto] cunicularia intermedia |
Speotyto cunicularia intermedia Feduccia 1970 |
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Genus Aegolius |
Genus Aegolius Kaup, 1829 . |
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Aegolius funereus |
Species: Aegolius funereus (Linnaeus, 1758). |
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Fossil synonym: Athene noctua veta Jánossy, 1974. Jánossy, D. 1974. Upper Pliocene and Lower Pleistocene bird remains from Poland. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia 19(21): 531-566. |
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Mlikovský, 1992 placed the subspecies Athene noctua veta in synonymy with Aegolius funereus. Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1992. The present state of knowledge of the Tertiary birds of Central Europe. In K.E. Campbell (ed.). Studies in avian paleornithology honoring Pierce Brodkorb. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Science Series 36: 433-458. |
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Genus Asio |
Genus Asio Brisson, 1760 . |
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Asio longaevus |
Species: Asio longaevus (Umanskaya, 1979) |
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Transfered to Asio by Mlikovský, 1998. Mlíkovský, Jirí. 1998. Two new owls (Aves: Strigidae) from the early Miocene of the Czech Republic, with comments on the fossil history of the subfamily Striginae. Buteo 10: 5-22. |
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Asio brevipes |
Species: Asio brevipes Ford & Murray, 1967. |
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Asio priscus |
Species: Asio priscus Howard, 1964. |
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Genus Mascarenotus |
Genus Mascarenotus Mourer-Chauviré, Bour, Moutou & Ribes, 1994. |
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Mascarenotus sauzieri |
Species: Mascarenotus sauzieri (Newton & Gadow, 1893). |
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Synonym: Scops commersoni Oustalet, 1896. Oustalet, E. 1896. Notice sur la faune ornithologique ancienne et modeme des Iles Mascareignes et en particulier de l'Ile Maurice d'après des documents inédits. Annales des Sciences Naturelles, série 8, (Zoologie), 3:1-128. | ||
Synonym: Strix newtoni Rothschild, 1907. Rothschild, L.W.R. 1907. Extinct birds, an attempt to write in one volume a short account of those birds which have become extinct in historical times, that is within the last six or seven hundred years: to which are added a few which still exist, but are on the verge of extinction / by the Hon. Walter Rothschild. London: Hutchinson. XXIX + 243 p. |
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New Combinations: Tyto sauzieri (Newton & Gadow, 1893). Hachisuka, 1953. Tyto newtoni (Rothschild, 1907). Hachisuka, 1953 . "Tyto" sauzieri (Newton & Gadow, 1893). Hachisuka , Masauji. 1953. The Dodo and kindred birds. H. & G. Witherby, London. xvi + 250 pp. |
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Synonym: "Tyto" newtoni (Rothschild, 1907). Cowles, 1987. Cowles, 1987. Graham S. Cowles, 1987: The Fossil Record. In Studies of Mascarene Island Birds A.W. Diamond editor: Cambridge University Press. |
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New Genus: Mascarenotus sauzieri (Newton & Gadow, 1893). Mourer-Chauviré, Bour, Moutou & Ribes, 1994. Remarks: Notes on the history of this taxa: |
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Mascarenotus murivorus |
Species: Mascarenotus murivorus (Milne-Edwards, 1873). Remarks: The specific reference to Strix (Athene) murivora can be found i n Milne-Edwards (1873) Recherches sur la faune ancienne des Iles Mascareignes. Annales des Sciences naturelles, Vème série, Zoologie, Paris, tome XIX, 31 pp., pl. 11-15, where it is written : "Il est donc probable que cette espèce constitue une espèce nouvelle… Je proposerai de lui donner le nom de Strix (Athene) murivora." Farther in the description and in the measurements of the tibiotarsus it is written Athene murivora. In the explanation of figures, p. 29, pl. 11, fig. 2, it is written:"Tibia du Strix murivora". Synonym: Carine murivora (Milne-Edwards, 1873). |
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Synonym: Günther & Newton, 1879. Günther, A., and Edward Newton. 1879. The Extinct Birds of Rodriguez. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. 168:423-437, plates 41-43. |
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Synonym: Bubo (?) leguati Rothschild, 1907. Remarks: Notes on the history of this taxa: |
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Mascarenotus grucheti |
Species: Mascarenotus grucheti Mourer-Chauviré, Bour, Moutou & Ribes, 1994. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile, C. Roger Bour, François Moutou & Sonia Ribes, 1994. Mascarenotus Nov. Gen. (Aves: Strigiformes) Genre Endémique Éteint des Mascareignes et M. grucheti N. Sp. Espèce Éteinte de la Réunion. Académie des Sciences, Comptes Rendus, sér. 2A 318: 1699-1706. |
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Synonym: "Tyto" sauzieri (Newton & Gadow, 1893). Newton , Edward and Hans Gadow. 1893. On Additional Bones of the Dodo and Other Extinct Birds of Mauritius Obtained by Mr. Theodore Sauzier. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, 13, part 7(1):281-302, plates 33-37. |
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Synonym: "Tyto" newtoni (Rothschild, 1907) Cowles, 1987. Remarks: Notes on the history of this taxa: |
(1) We note suggestions on this taxa by Jirí Mlíkovský (2002. Cenozoic Birds of the World Part 1: Europe Praha Ninox Press: 1-407), but call into question the scientific validity of these proposed changes; see critique of Mourer-Chauviré 2004 (Cecilé Mourer-Chauviré. 2004. Cenozoic birds of the world. Part 1: Europe. [book review]. Auk 121(2):623-627).
Table 2. Bird fossils that have not been fully verified (or cannot be fully verified), and currently remain Incertae Sedis (of uncertain taxonomic position).
Asio pygmaeus |
Species: Asio pygmaeus Serebrovsky, 1941. The holotype is missing so it cannot be studied. |
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Bubo florianae |
Species: Bubo florianae Kretzoi, 1957. Remarks: Based on a phalanx coming from a large owl but it is impossible to determine it further than Strigidae. |
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Strix ignota |
Species: Strix ignota Milne-Edwards, 1871. Remarks: The name is available, however, material needs restudy to see what genus it belongs in. |
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The following notes are from Mlíkovský 2002 (Mlíkovský, Jirí. 2002. Cenozoic Birds of the World Part 1: Europe Praha Ninox Press: 1-407): Cited reference: |
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"Eostrix" vincenti (2) |
Species: "Eostrix" vincenti Harrison, 1980. |
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Messelastur gratulator |
In 2005, Gerald Mayr described a sistergroup of the Strigiformes: Familia Messelasturidae Mayr, 2005, in which Messelastur gratulator (Peters 1994) was one of the species. |
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Species: Messelastur gratulator Peters, 1994. Peters, Dieter Stephan. 1994. Messelastur gratulator n. gen. n. spec., ein Greifvogel aus der Grube Messel (Aves, Accipitridae). Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 170: 3-9. |
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Tynskya eocaena |
Species: Tynskya eocaena Mayr, 2000. |
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Alvarezsauridae |
In 1975, Harrison and Walker described Bradycneme draculae, Heptasteornis andrewsi in a new family Bradycnemidae (specifically from the Cretaceous of Romania. However, these fossils are now believed to belong in the Alvarezsauridae, a group supposed to be close to Aves, and sometimes even believed to be in Aves. Thus: Alvarezsauridae: Bradycneme draculae, Heptasteornis andrewsi. |
(2)We note suggestions on this taxa by Jirí Mlíkovský (2002. Cenozoic Birds of the World Part 1: Europe Praha Ninox Press: 1-407), but call into question the scientific validity of these proposed changes; see critique of Mourer-Chauviré 2004 (Cecilé Mourer-Chauviré. 2004. Cenozoic birds of the world. Part 1: Europe. [book review]. Auk 121(2):623-627).
Table 3. Fossils of species that were initially placed in Strigiformes, but have since been transferred to other groups.
Eoglaucidium pallas
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Species: Eoglaucidium pallas Fischer, 1987. |
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Placed in the Familia Sandcoleidae by Houde & Olson, 1992. Houde, P., and Storrs L. Olson. 1992. A radiation of coly-like birds from the Eocene of North America (Aves: Sandcoleiformes, new order). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Science Series, No. 36: 137-160. |
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Balearica rummeli |
Species: Balearica rummeli (Mlikovský, 1998). |
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Transferred to Balearica by Mourer-Chauviré, 2001. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 2001. The Systematic Position of the Genus Basityto Mlikovsky 1998 (Aves: Gruiformes: Gruidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 114: 964-971. |
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Strigogyps dubius |
Species: Strigogyps dubius Gaillard, 1908. |
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Transfered by Mourer-Chauviré 1981 to Aves Incertae Sedis. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile. 1981. Première indication de la présence de Phorusrhacidés, Famille d’oiseaux géants d’Amérique du Sud, dans le Tertiaire Européean: Ameghinornis nov. gen. (Aves, Ralliformes) des Phosphorites du Quercy, France. Geobios 14:637–647. |
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Transferred by Mayr 2005 to the Familia Ameghinornithidae Mourer-Chauviré, 1981. Gerald Mayr, 2005: "Old World Phorusrhacids" (Aves, Phorusrhacidae): a New Look at Strigogyps ("Aenigmavis") sapea (Peters 1987). PaleoBios 25 (1): 11-16. |
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** But see Peters, Dieter Stephan. 2007. The Fossil Family Ameghinornithidae (Mourer-Chauviré 1981): a Short Synopsis. Journal of Ornithology 148: 25-28. | ||
Palaeophoyx columbiana |
Species: Palaeophoyx columbiana McCoy, 1963. |
Table 4. Owl taxa that are Nomen Nudum (classification yet unsupported).
Aurorornis taurica - Nomen Nudum |
Nomen Nudum (classification yet unsupported): The following text from the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution Information Letter, n° 13, October 1999: |
A new species closely related to two species of the genus Necrobyas |
Species: not yet published. A NEW SPECIES OF OWL (AVES: STRIGIFORMES) FROM THE EOCENE WASATCH FORMATION, WYOMING AND A SYSTEMATIC REVISION OF FOSSIL OWLS |
Interesting fossil owl literature not mentioned before.
Strigiformes from the Neogene of Spain |
Antonio Sanches-Marco, 2001: Strigiformes from the Neogene of Spain: Ibis 143: 313-316. |
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Integrating the Fossil Record in the Study of Insular Body Size Evolution: Example of Owls |
Louchart, A. 2005. Integrating the Fossil Record in the Study of Insular Body Size Evolution: Example of Owls (Aves, Strigiformes). In Alcover, J.A. & Bover, P. (eds.) Proceedings of the International Symposium “Insular Vertebrate Evolution: the Palaeontological Approach”.Monografies de la Societat d’Història Natural de les Balears, 12: 155-174. |
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Asio accipitrinus = Asio flammeus |
Asio accipitrinus = Asio flammeus Pontoppidan 1763. |