| Sophiornithidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sophiornis quercynus | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes (?) |
| Family: | Sophiornithidae |
| Genera | |
and see text | |
TheSophiornithidae (literally "wisdom birds") are an extinctfamily ofchicken-sized predatorybirds that lived from thePaleocene to theEocene periods of theCenozoic, and were found primarily inEurope, and are thought to be primitiveowls (hence, the name wisdom bird). They were also possibly related toStrigiformes.
The French generaBerruornis (Late Paleocene to Late Eocene/Early Oligocene), as well asPalaeotyto andPalaeobyas from Quercy, are sometimes placed in this family. The latter might instead bebarn owls, while the first might be a very basal owl but not an actual sophiornithid.Strigogyps was placed here for a time, but it has been revised several times since then[1][2][3] and appears to be anameghinornitid; these were distant relatives of theseriemas.
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