Eurotrochilus is an extinct genus of stem group hummingbirds (Trochilidae) and are the closest known relatives of the crown group Trochilidae.[3] Despite Eurotrochilus being morphologically very similar to modern hummingbirds, they still retained several primitive features and are not closely related to any specific extant hummingbird in the crown group.[4] There are currently two described species of Eurotrochilus: E. inexpectatus[1] and E. noniewiczi.[2]
Eurotrochilus has been dated back to the Rupelian age of the early Oligocene era, which occurred during the Paleogene period. While there is some debate over exactly when Eurotrochilus was present, the most recent estimate is suggested to be 28 to 34 million years ago.[2]
The discovery of Eurotrochilus fossils in Germany, France, and Poland was extremely important because today all 328 of the extant species of hummingbirds only occur in the New World but the fossils of Eurotrochilus suggest an Old World origin.[5] Extant hummingbirds are distinctly different than all other avians because of their unique adaptions for hovering flight and nectarivory.[4] Like extant hummingbirds, Eurotrochilus has these adaptions and are the only genus of stem group Trochilidae to do so.[4]
^ abcMayr, Gerald (7 May 2004). "Old World Fossil Record of Modern-Type Hummingbirds". Science. 304 (5672): 861–874. Bibcode:2004Sci...304..861M. doi:10.1126/science.1096856. JSTOR 3836924. PMID 15131303. S2CID 6845608.
^ abcBochenski, Zygmunt; Bochenski, Zbigniew (19 December 2007). "An Old World hummingbird from the Oligocene: a new fossil from Polish Carpathians". Journal of Ornithology. 149 (2): 211–216. doi:10.1007/s10336-007-0261-y. S2CID 22193761.
^Mayr, Gerald (2009). Paleogene Fossil Birds. Berlin: Springer. ISBN 978-3540896272.
^ abcMayr, Gerald (March 2005). "Fossil hummingbirds in the Old World" (PDF). Biologist. 52 (1): 16.
^Louchart, Antoine; Tourment, Nicolas; Carrier, Julie; Roux, Thierry (27 September 2007). "Hummingbird with modern feathering: an exceptionally well-preserved Oligocene fossil from southern France". Naturwissenschaften. 95 (2): 171–175. doi:10.1007/s00114-007-0309-0. PMID 17898977. S2CID 24147647.
There are currently two described species of Eurotrochilus: E. inexpectatus and E. noniewiczi. Eurotrochilus has been dated back to the Rupelian age of...
around 42 million years ago. The oldest known fossil hummingbird is Eurotrochilus, from the Rupelian Stage of Early Oligocene Europe. Hummingbirds are...
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