2006/01/01 by David Waterhouse · 7 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Ichthyology and Marine Biology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies
paper · doi:10.1080/08912960600641224
openalex publication_date 2006/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Parrots (traditional order Psittaciformes) are one of the most instantly recognizable groups of modern birds. Their relatively large heads, squat necks and broad, curved bills help to make parrots so easily identifiable. However, the few early fossil parrots that have been discovered to date (Lower Eocene), do not necessarily possess this “parrot-like” cranial morphology. Even more surprisingly, early psittaciforms have mainly been found in the northern hemisphere (Walton-on-the-Naze, England; Messel, Germany, etc.), with only a few, relatively recent, essentially modern parrot remains being found within their present range (mainly in tropical and sub-tropical Australasia and South America). Fossil parrots remain rare and those that have been identified are often the subject of much debate. This paper is an attempt to accumulate and re-evaluate the current information available on parrot fossils—an intriguing group of birds with a complicated and elusive past.