Pumiliornis
Extinct genus of birds
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Pumiliornis tessellatus is an ancient bird from the Middle Eocene of Messel, Hesse, Germany. It is described as a wren-sized[1] anisodactyl bird with a long, slender bill and strong hallux. Its species name tessellatus, meaning "mosaic" in Latin, is a reference to its unusual distribution of characters and uncertain phylogenetic placement.[2][3] It has some anatomical affinities with Cuculiformes, but similar fossils that might be related to this taxon do not.[4]
| Pumiliornis Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Australaves |
| Family: | †Morsoravidae |
| Genus: | †Pumiliornis (Mayr, 1999) |
| Type species | |
| †Pumiliornis tessellatus (Mayr, 1999) | |
In 2014, a new specimen of Pumiliornis was described that showed preserved stomach contents of pollen grains from a eudicotyledonous angiosperm, making it the earliest fossil evidence of flower-visiting behavior in birds.[5]