The extinct Messelirrisor is a genus of Bucerotiformes, the sole representative of the family Messelirrisoridae. They were tiny hoopoe-like birds that were the earliest representatives of the hoopoe/wood-hoopoe lineage, and they were among the predominant small forest birds of Central Europe during the Middle Eocene (some 49-37 mya). Fossilized remains of Messelirrisor have been found in the Messel Pit of Hesse, Germany.

Messelirrisor
Temporal range: Middle Eocene, 47 Ma
Fossil of Messelirrisor halcyrostris
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Bucerotiformes
Family: Messelirrisoridae
Mayr, 1998
Genus: Messelirrisor
Mayr, 1998
Type species
Messelirrisor halcyrostris
Mayr, 1998
Other species
  • M. grandis Mayr, 2000
  • M. parvus Mayr, 1998
Life restoration

Sources

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  • Mayr, Gerald (1 October 2000). "Tiny Hoopoe-Like Birds From the Middle Eocene of Messel (Germany)". The Auk. 117 (4): 964–970. doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2000)117[0964:THLBFT]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 4089635. INIST 1528405.
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