| Protornis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fossil specimen | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Coraciiformes |
| Genus: | †Protornis von Meyer, 1844 |
| Species: | †P. glarniensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Protornis glarniensis von Meyer, 1844 | |
Protornis (Greek for "original bird") is anextinctgenus of prehistoriccoraciiformbird. It contains one species,P. glarniensis from theEarly Oligocene-agedMatt Formation ofCanton Glarus, Switzerland. It is known from a partially complete but poorly-preserved fossil skeleton known from the famous "Glarus Fish Slates".[1][2] Its name derives from the fact that at the time of discovery, it was considered one of the oldest fossil birds, as the rocks in which it was found were thought to date to theCretaceous, although they are now known to date to only the Early Oligocene.[3]
It was initially described as apasseriform byvon Meyer (1844) due to its small size, butOlson (1976) reclassified it as an earlymotmot, noting several close similarities of its skeleton to extantMomotidae, including its rather flattened bill. However, more recent studies have noted that it as some traits not present in motmots either, so it is now considered an indeterminate coraciiform.[1][2][4]
Protornis was a small-sized bird, only slightly larger than the moderntody motmot. A second partial fossil bird specimen from the same deposits was previously thought to be a secondProtornis specimen, but later analyses found it to be too large and to have significant morphological differences fromProtornis. This bird is now considered an indeterminatetrogon.[3]
The genus name "Protornis", despite being preoccupied by this genus, was also used for anichnogenus of animal tracks that was interpreted as representing early bird footprints, such asProtornis bavarica from theJurassic of Germany, thought to representArchaeopteryx footprints. However, these tracks are now known to have actually been made byhorseshoe crabs, and are now assigned to the genusKouphichnium.[5][6]