Re: large fossil birds

[Michael Habib <mhabib5@jhmi.edu>]

On Thursday, December 1, 2005, at 11:11 AM, don ohmes wrote:

> > > Does anyone happen to know what the smallest bird
> > w/
> > > tip-slots is?
> >
> > Good question.  I don't know.
>
> Drat. Hoped you might know.

I don't know for sure either, but one good bet might be species in the 
bushtit group.  I know long-tailed tits have wing slots (albeit small 
ones; wing photograph at:  
http://www2.ups.edu/biology/museum/BUSHwing23359.jpg).  Long-tailed 
tits have extremely short, highly rounded wings and a very long tail 
(somewhat like accipiters but more extreme).   They weigh in somewhere 
around 8 grams, but some related species (which may also use slots) are 
as small as 6 grams.

Cheers,
--Mike