Elaphrocnemus
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| Elaphrocnemus | |
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| Genus: | †Elaphrocnemus |
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| †Elaphrocnemus phasianus Milne-Edwards, 1891 | |
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Elaphrocnemus is a genus of extinct bird from the Eocene and Oligocene periods of Europe. Part of Cariamiformes, its closest living relatives are seriemas, though it differs significantly from them, being a better flyer.
Since its original description Elaphrocnemus has been regarded as a cariamiform bird. It was referred to the family Orthocnemidae, since them absorbed into Idiornithidae.[1][2] However, relationships within Cariamiformes are unresolved, as several studies render Idiornithidae as polyphyletic, with Elaphrocnemus recovered away from other "idiornithids", outside of the clade leading to them and modern seriemas.[3]
Some authorities renders the genus a synonym of Talantatos, though some recent studies recover it as independent from this genus.[3]
A possibly closely related species, Itaboravis, is known from the Paleocene of Brazil.[4]
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