Krzysztof Wertz

A new passerine bird from the early Oligocene of Poland

We describe a nearly complete articulated specimen representing a new species and genus, Jamna szybiaki gen. et sp. nov., of an early Oligocene passeriform bird from Poland. In overall osteology, the specimen resembles extant Passeriformes but it differs from that group in several characters including the not bifurcated spina externa (sternum) and the absence of a hooked processus acrocoracoideus (coracoid). Its affinities within Passeriformes cannot be resolved at the moment due to the lack of characters that would support its position within either Oscines or Suboscines. For the first time in Paleogene passerines, wing and tail feathers are visible which provide new information on the external appearance of the bird. Its morphology suggests that it was a frugivorous/insectivorous bird that lived in shrubs and forests.ZusammenfassungWir beschreiben ein fast vollständig artikuliertes Exemplar einer neuen Sperlingsvogel-Art und -Gattung, Jamna szybiaki gen. et sp. nov., aus dem frühen Oligozän in Polen. In seinem Knochenbau erinnert das Exemplar an heutige Sperlingsartige, unterscheidet sich jedoch von dieser Gruppe in einigen Merkmalen wie z.B. dem ungegabelten Brustbein (sternum) und dem nicht vorhandenen eingehakten Rabenschnabelfortsatz processus acrocoracoideus (coracoid). Die Verwandtschaft mit den Sperlingsvögeln ist derzeit noch nicht ganz klar, weil Merkmale fehlen, die seine Stellung innerhalb entweder der Oscines, oder der Suboscines festlegen würden. Zum ersten Mal sind hier bei einem Sperlingsvogel aus dem Paläogen Hand- und Schwanzfedern sichtbar; sie geben neue Informationen über das äußere Aussehen des Vogels. Seine Morphologie lässt vermuten, dass er ein Früchte- und Insektenfresser war und in Sträuchern und Wäldern lebte.

The third nearly complete passerine bird from the early Oligocene of Europe

AbstractA new species and genus of a passerine bird from the early Oligocene of Poland is described. Resoviaornis jamrozi gen. et sp. nov. is the third nearly complete passerine known so far from the Paleogene. As in the two recently described passerine birds, it shows a mosaic of characters typical for the Oscines or Suboscines, and therefore its systematic position within Passeriformes remains unresolved, pending discoveries of new specimens. The specimen is so far the oldest passerine to have the coracoid with well pronounced and hooked processus acrocoracoideus. With the size of the extant Blue Tit, it is also the smallest of the Oligocene passerines. The slender remnants of its beak point to an insectivorous or frugivorous bird, and the relatively long legs suggest that it spent much time on the ground.ZusammenfassungDer dritte, weitgehend vollständige Sperlingsvogel aus dem frühen Oligozän Europas Eine neue Art und Gattung der Sperlingsvögel wird aus dem frühen Oligozän Polens beschrieben. Resoviaornis jamrozi gen. et sp. nov. ist die dritte nahezu vollständig fossil überlieferte Sperlingsvogelart aus dem Paläogen. Ähnlich wie bei zwei vor kurzem beschriebenen Arten zeigt das neue Fossil ein Mosaik von Merkmale typisch für Oscines und Suboscines. Bis zur Entdeckung neuer Exemplare bleibt seine systematische Stellung innerhalb der Passeriformes ungelöst. Das Fossil ist der bisher älteste Sperlingsvogel mit einem Coracoid mit einem gut ausgeprägten und hakenförmigen Processus acrocoracoideus. Mit der Größe einer rezenten Blaumeise ist die neue Art auch der kleinste der oligozänen Sperlingsvögel. Die Überreste seines schlanken Schnabels deuten auf einen insektenfressenden oder früchterfressenden Vogel, und die relativ lange Beine lassen vermuten, dass er viel Zeit auf dem Boden verbrachte.

A new genus and species of a galliform bird from the Oligocene of Poland

We describe an articulated partial skeleton representing a new genus and species, Sobniogallus albinojamrozi gen. et sp. nov., of an early Oligocene galliform bird from Poland. In overall osteology, mainly of the sternum, furcula, and humerus, the specimen resembles extant Galliformes but differs from that group in several characters including the “anseriform” carpometacarpus, which is typical for stem group galliform birds. The present study supports the notion that Galliformes and Anseriformes are sister taxa that together form the clade Galloanseres. The new species increases the known diversity of avian remains recovered from the Outer Carpathians and Central Paleogene Basin of Europe. Teresa Tomek. Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Slawkowska 17, 31-016 Kraków, Poland. tomek@isez.pan.krakow.pl Zbigniew M. Bochenski. Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Slawkowska 17, 31-016 Kraków, Poland. bochenski@isez.pan.krakow.pl corresponding author Krzysztof Wertz. Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Slawkowska 17, 31-016 Kraków, Poland. wertz@isez.pan.krakow.pl Ewa Swidnicka. Department of Palaeozoology, Chair of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland. gama@biol.uni.wroc.pl

What happens to dead birds left in a cave and its vicinity for a quarter of a century? A taphonomic experiment

Abstract This paper describes a bird carcass-monitoring experiment carried out in a limestone cave and its immediate vicinity in southern Poland for almost a quarter of a century. Some specimens deposited outside the cave were preserved almost intact, others were only a little weathered. Soft tissues and remnants of feathers were preserved in some of the samples inside the cave. Stages of bone modifications that can occur in a cave have been distinguished and illustrated for the first time. Also, bird bones from owl pellets have been used in a carcass-monitoring experiment for the first time. Bone modifications in the form of wrinkling, bending and/or collapsing of the bone surface were recorded only on the bones of birds that decomposed inside the cave, and not on bones that had been isolated from owl pellets prior to their deposition in the cave. Therefore, it is postulated that avian – and possibly also small mammal – bones that have been defleshed, either by people or animals, have a greater chance to survive and fossilize than bones deposited as complete carcasses in a cave. This agrees with the generally accepted notion that larger assemblages of small vertebrates in caves are usually the result of predator accumulation.

Who ate the birds: the taphonomy of Sarakenos Cave, Greece

The taphonomic analysis of avian remains from Sarakenos Cave reveals that, contrary to previous suggestions, many bird bones excavated there represent food remains of the Eagle Owls rather than humans. The conclusion is based on the presence of traces of digestion, beak and claw punctures, and indirect evidence that includes relative preservation of particular elements, species composition, the lack of cut marks, and the absence of numerous traces of burning. Specimens with medullary bone and traces of digestion indicate that the owls killed breeding females in spring. Since it is unlikely that owls shared the cave with humans at the same time, it supports the notion based on archeological evidence that human groups did not inhabit it permanently.

Articulated avian remains from the early Oligocene of Poland adds to our understanding of Passerine evolution

In total, less than 50 specimens of the Passeriformes are known from the Paleogene, which contrasts with the fact that now it is the largest and most diverse order of birds. The so far described fossils include only three nearly complete specimens, an articulated wing and legs, and a handful of isolated bones. This paper describes a new species and genus of a passerine bird the size of the extant Parus major, imprinted on a slab and a counter slab of the siliceous clayey shales of the Outer Carpathians in southeastern Poland, and dated to the Rupelian, early Oligocene (ca. 31 m.y.a.). It is one of the very few passerine specimens from the Paleogene with bones in articulation, and thus provides a window into the ancestral osteology of passeriforms, which is characterized by a mosaic of characters typical for extant Oscines and Suboscines. The bird shows a unique manus, with a relatively short carpometacarpus and cleavershaped phalanx proximalis digiti majoris. Besides bones, fragmentary feathers are also imprinted on both slabs. Zbigniew M. Bochenski. Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Slawkowska 17, 31-016 Krakow, Poland. (corresponding author) bochenski@isez.pan.krakow.pl Teresa Tomek. Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Slawkowska 17, 31-016 Krakow, Poland. tomek@isez.pan.krakow.pl Krzysztof Wertz. Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Slawkowska 17, 31-016 Krakow, Poland. wertz@isez.pan.krakow.pl Johannes Happ. Department of Palaeontology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. johanneshapp@yahoo.de Małgorzata Bujoczek. Department of Forest Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Krakow, Poland. malgorzata.bujoczek@urk.edu.pl Ewa Swidnicka. Department of Palaeozoology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland. gama@biol.uni.wroc.pl http://zoobank.org/DDC682C0-D2BD-44FF-B8F2-E48B940DC7D4 Bochenski, Zbigniew M., Tomek, Teresa, Wertz, Krzysztof, Happ, Johannes, Bujoczek, Małgorzata, and Swidnicka, Ewa. 2018. Articulated avian remains from the early Oligocene of Poland adds to our understanding of Passerine evolution. Palaeontologia Electronica 21.2.32A 1-12. https://doi.org/10.26879/843 palaeo-electronica.org/content/2018/2300-passerine-bird-from-oligocene Copyright: August 2018 Paleontology Society. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), which permits users to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, provided it is not used for commercial purposes and the original author and source are credited, with indications if any changes are made. creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ BOCHENSKI: PASSERINE BIRD FROM OLIGOCENE