World’S Oldest Known Fossil Of A Nectarivorous Bird, Messel, Germany

[Oxytropidoceras]

Age-old relationship between birds and flowers:

World’s oldest fossil of a nectarivorous bird

SceinceDaily, Senckenberg Research Institute

and Natural History Museum, May 27, 2014

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140527214938.htm

Pumiliornis tessellatus: Oldest Known Fossil of

Nectarivorous Bird Discovered by Enrico de

Lazaro, Sci-News, May 28, 2014

http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/science-pumiliornis-tessellatus-oldest-nectarivorous-bird-01949.html

47-million-year-old fossil of hummingbird

ancestor found - and it still has traces of pollen

in its stomach, Mail Online, May 27, 2104

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2640658/47-million-year-old-fossil-hummingbird-ancestor-traces-pollen-stomach.html

Mayr, G., and V. Wilde, 2014, Eocene fossil is

earliest evidence of flower-visiting by birds.

Biology Letters, 2014; 10 (5): 20140223

http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/10/5/20140223

Yours,

Paul H.

[Auspex]

Long inferred, now proven by an extraordinary association. Excellent!

[oilshale]

Might be the same species:

Edited May 30, 2014 by oilshale

[oilshale]

Might be the same species:

No, it' something else. I've just asked one of the authors, Mr. G. Mayr from Senckenberg Institute. He was so kind to determine the family: It's not a Pumiliornis, it's a Messelirrisoridae, a relative of the Hoopoe.

At least now I know what it is.

Thomas

[Auspex]

You have a Messel Hoopoe?!!!

<covet, covet>