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Sophiornithidae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sophiornithidae (literally "Wisdom Birds"), was a family of chicken-sized predatory birds that lived from the Paleocene to the Eocene periods of the Cenozoic, and were found primarily in Europe. Many experts believe them to be primitive owls, though some members, such as the species of Strigogyps (initially described as Aenigmavis and Ameghinornis) were once thought to be (and described as) aberrant phorusrhacids.
This confusion is due to the fact that these birds never fully evolved the tree-perching lifestyle observed in owls, but were terrestrial, weakly-flying birds more ecologically akin to a seriema instead. Consequently, the status and placement of this family is disputed.
The French genera Berruornis (Late Paleocene to Late Eocene/Early Oligocene), as well as Palaeotyto and Palaeobyas from Quercy, are sometimes placed in this family. The latter might instead be barn-owls, while the first might be a very basal owl but not an actual sophiornithid.
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