Re: K/T birds

["T. Mike Keesey" <tmk@dinosauricon.com>]

On Wed, 12 Dec 2001, Daniel Bensen wrote:

> I just read the Natural History article about the Gondwanan origin of
> modern birds (VERY interesting, and I'd like to hear the List's
> opinions about the article).  My question is this, what bird types
> were there in Laurasia that got killed by Chixulab?  In other words,
> what kinds of birds were still around at the end of the Cretaceous in
> Asiamerica?  I can think of _Avisaurus_, the hespernornithids, and the
> ichthyornithids, but that's it.  Were the confusiusornids still
> around?

I think all known confucisornithids are Barremian.

_Limenavis_ is a bird related to neornitheans from the
Campanian-Maastrichtian of Argentina -- not quite Asiamerica. Also from
the right time and wrong place are a number of Madagascan fossils, such as
those of _Vorona_ and _Rahonavis_ (if you want to call it a bird).

_Apsaravis_ (Mongolia) comes close, timewise -- probably Campanian.

I have these genera listed as Late Cretaceous -- not sure if they are
Maastrichtian or not:
_Kuszholia_ (Mongolia)
_Patagopteryx_ (Argentina)
_Gargantuavis_ (France -- Cretaceous, not sure if Late or Early)
_Alexornis_ (Mexico)
_Gurilynia_ (Mongolia)
_Kizylkumavis_ (Kazakhstan)
_Sazavis_ (Uzbekistan)
_Enantiornis_ (S. America & Asia)
_Gobipteryx_ (Mongolia)
_Lectavis_ (Argentina)
_Yungavolucris_ (Argentina)
_Neuquenornis_ (Argentina)
_Avisaurus_ (N. America)
_Soroavisaurus_ (Argentina)
_Apatornis_ (Kansas)
_Ichthyornis_ (N. America)
_Baptornis_ (N. America)
_Judinornis_ (Mongolia)
_Asiahesperornis_ (Kazakhstan)
_Parascaniornis_ (Sweden)
_Parahesperornis_ (N. America)

Then there are a number of neornithean (charadriomorph) forms from the
?latest Maastrichtian of North America -- graculavids, etc.

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