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New records of fossil 'waterbirds' from the Miocene of Kenya

New records of fossil 'waterbirds' from the Miocene of Kenya
New records of fossil 'waterbirds' from the Miocene of Kenya
We present a number of new fossil records of ‘‘waterbirds’’ (encompassing several of the
traditional living orders of birds) from three important Miocene deposits in western Kenya. These
sites surround Lake Victoria—the Ngorora Formation and sediments at Maboko and Rusinga
Islands (Kula Formation)—are well-known hominoid localities, and have yielded a diverse
assemblage of contemporary fossil mammals. Previously identified avians from this area include a
marabou stork (Leptoptilos sp.), the fossil flamingo Leakeyornis aethiopicus, as well as a number of
additional unidentified phoenicopterid (flamingo) remains. We add records of an anhinga
(Anhinga cf. pannonica), two storks (Ciconia minor, C. cf. ciconia/nigra), a night heron (Nycticorax
cf. nycticorax) and a threskyornithid (the group that includes the ibises and spoonbills) to the
known diversity of Kenyan Miocene waterbirds. We also illustrate, for the first time, the holotype
and paratype material of the Kenyan Miocene flamingo Leakeyornis aethiopicus. Comparisons
with other known sites of this age across northern Africa, the Mediterranean and northern
Pakistan suggest that Miocene waterbird faunas in this region were very similar in their
compositions. While Anhinga pannonica, Ciconia minor, and Ciconia ciconia are documented from
other Miocene sites across the region, the osteologically distinct fossil flamingo Leakeyornis
appears to have been restricted to East Africa. All the avian groups recorded from these Kenyan
Miocene sites represent extant genera, in contrast to the described fossil mammals. As has been
widely reported from other African sites of this age, fossil birds thus represent a valid mechanism
for building hypotheses about palaeoenvironments.
0003-0082
3610-[12pp]
Dyke, Gareth J.
600ca61e-b40b-4c86-b8ae-13be4e331e94
Walker, Cyril A.
8da72acb-cb88-4420-b42f-2da775a8e785
Dyke, Gareth J.
600ca61e-b40b-4c86-b8ae-13be4e331e94
Walker, Cyril A.
8da72acb-cb88-4420-b42f-2da775a8e785

Dyke, Gareth J. and Walker, Cyril A. (2008) New records of fossil 'waterbirds' from the Miocene of Kenya. American Museum Novitates, (3610), 3610-[12pp].

Record type: Article

Abstract

We present a number of new fossil records of ‘‘waterbirds’’ (encompassing several of the
traditional living orders of birds) from three important Miocene deposits in western Kenya. These
sites surround Lake Victoria—the Ngorora Formation and sediments at Maboko and Rusinga
Islands (Kula Formation)—are well-known hominoid localities, and have yielded a diverse
assemblage of contemporary fossil mammals. Previously identified avians from this area include a
marabou stork (Leptoptilos sp.), the fossil flamingo Leakeyornis aethiopicus, as well as a number of
additional unidentified phoenicopterid (flamingo) remains. We add records of an anhinga
(Anhinga cf. pannonica), two storks (Ciconia minor, C. cf. ciconia/nigra), a night heron (Nycticorax
cf. nycticorax) and a threskyornithid (the group that includes the ibises and spoonbills) to the
known diversity of Kenyan Miocene waterbirds. We also illustrate, for the first time, the holotype
and paratype material of the Kenyan Miocene flamingo Leakeyornis aethiopicus. Comparisons
with other known sites of this age across northern Africa, the Mediterranean and northern
Pakistan suggest that Miocene waterbird faunas in this region were very similar in their
compositions. While Anhinga pannonica, Ciconia minor, and Ciconia ciconia are documented from
other Miocene sites across the region, the osteologically distinct fossil flamingo Leakeyornis
appears to have been restricted to East Africa. All the avian groups recorded from these Kenyan
Miocene sites represent extant genera, in contrast to the described fossil mammals. As has been
widely reported from other African sites of this age, fossil birds thus represent a valid mechanism
for building hypotheses about palaeoenvironments.

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More information

Published date: 9 April 2008
Organisations: Paleooceanography & Palaeoclimate

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 205189
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/205189
ISSN: 0003-0082
PURE UUID: 493beca0-db30-4bb9-92a4-681287283255

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Date deposited: 07 Dec 2011 12:13
Last modified: 07 Jan 2022 21:08

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Contributors

Author: Gareth J. Dyke
Author: Cyril A. Walker

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