Lithornis is a genus of extinct paleognathous birds. Although Lithornis was able to fly well, their closest relatives are the extant tinamous (which are poor flyers) and ratites (which are flightless birds).
Fossils of Lithornis are known with certainty from the Upper Paleocene through the Middle Eocene, but their fossil record may extend to the late Cretaceous. Lithornis is from ancient Greek for 'stone bird', as it is one of the first fossil birds to become widely discussed. Presumably closely related genera are Paracathartes and Pseudocrypturus.
Lithornis is a genus of extinct paleognathous birds. Although Lithornis was able to fly well, their closest relatives are the extant tinamous (which are...
lithornithid. Lithornis itself may be paraphyletic in relation to Paracathartes and Pseudocrypturus. In a study about ratite endocasts, Lithornis ranks among...
hemisphere location of the morphologically most basal fossil forms (such as Lithornis, Pseudocrypturus, Paracathartes and Palaeotis), a Laurasian origin for...
variously moved between these genera for almost 150 years: 1854-1890: "Lithornis" emuinus, "Megalornis" of Seeley, Dasornis and Argillornis The first fossil...
northern hemisphere. Early Cenozoic northern hemisphere paleognaths such as Lithornis, Pseudocrypturus, Paracathartes and Palaeotis appear to be the most basal...
tarsometatarsus that had been assigned to it actually belongs to the paleognath Lithornis vulturinus. White-faced heron (Egretta novaehollandiae), demonstrating...
(2024) describe the external and internal morphology of the braincase of Lithornis vulturinus, interpret its neuroanatomy as likely similar to the neuroanatomy...
the Fossil Remains of a Mammal (Hyracotherium leporinum) and of a Bird (Lithornis vulturinus) from the London Clay. Archived 2020-01-07 at the Wayback Machine”...
J. DYKE,1, AND MARCEL VAN TUINEN (2005) "A New Specimen of the Fossil Lithornis from the Lower Eocene". American Museum Novitates. Number 3491, 11 pp...
proportionally narrower coracoid shaft and longer tarsometatarsus, from Lithornis promiscuus in aspects of the ischium, and from Paracathartes in a less...