Did parrots exist in the Cretaceous period?

Dyke, Gareth J. and Mayr, G. (1999) Did parrots exist in the Cretaceous period? Nature, 399, 317-318. (doi:10.1038/20583).

Abstract

The timing of the origin of modern birds is much debated. The traditional view, based largely on the fossil record, suggests that most modern groups did not appear until the Tertiary, after the end-Cretaceous extinction event1, but recent work, based on molecular divergence data, has suggested that most, or all, of the major clades were present in the Cretaceous. Verification of the latter proposal awaits the discovery of modern bird fossils in the Mesozoic which can be confirmed on the basis of the derived features characterizing the major clades.

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