| Palaeoscinis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Suborder: | Passeri |
| Family: | †Palaeoscinidae Howard,1957 |
| Genus: | †Palaeoscinis Howard, 1957 |
| Species: | †P. turdirostris |
| Binomial name | |
| †Palaeoscinis turdirostris Howard, 1957 | |
Palaeoscinis (meaning "ancient oscine") is anextinctgenus ofsongbird described in 1957 from the middleMiocene of theMonterey Formation inSanta Barbara, California. It is assigned to the extinctmonotypicfamilyPalaeoscinidae, and contains thetype and only speciesP. turdirostris.
The fossil was first discovered in 1955 on two slabs oflimestone intended for use asflagstones before being recognised for their significance. It was preserved partly as an imprint of the skeleton with some of bones still intact and in articulation with only slight separation of individual bones, including scatteredtracheal rings. The fossil was found in marine sediments, but the anatomy ofPalaeoscinis indicates that it was a songbird rather than aseabird. Thespecific name was chosen for thethrush-like shape of its beak.
The beak is long and slender, similar to that of the modernvaried thrush, and its body proportions are also generally similar to thrushes. The legs are relatively short, though, unlike thrushes, and are shorter than the bones of the wing. Feather imprints on the slab suggest the wings may have been relatively short, although it is possible that they were not fully preserved. The foot is typical of songbirds, with a reversed 1st toe and three forward facing ones, of which the middle is the longest and the 2nd is the shortest, with the 1st and 4th toes roughly equal in length. The three forward facing claws are short, but the claw of the reversed 1st toe is long, approximately 70% the length of the precedingtoe bone.
Palaeoscinus was assigned to its own family due to the combination of skeletal characteristics (mostly of thesternum,shoulder, andhumerus) and its proportions being unlike any modern or fossil family of songbirds. However, it was regarded as similar and possibly related to thePycnonotidae (bulbuls),Bombycillidae (waxwings),Corvidae, orCinclidae (dippers) by Howard (1957). It was provisionally allocated as closest to the Pycnonotidae over the other families by Wetmore (1960) based on its proportions, although this relationship is not certain.
The area has produced fossils of other marine animals, including fossils of ashearwater and the "pseudo-toothed"pelagornithidOsteodontornis, as well as aporpoise and fish, alongside fossils ofpalms.
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