Bathornis fossil map
Where fossils of Bathornis have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 30 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 30 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Prehistoric birds |
|---|---|
| Lived | 45.9–18.5 million years ago (Lutetian to Burdigalian) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene |
| Family | Bathornithidae |
| Named by | Wetmore 1927 |
| Fossil records | 10 occurrences at 7 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States |
| Rock formations | Chadron, Brule, Washakie, txn:39473, Sharps |
About Bathornis
Bathornis ("tall bird") is an extinct genus of birds related to modern day seriemas, that lived in North America about 37–20 million years ago. Like the closely related and also extinct phorusrhacids, it was a flightless predator, occupying predatory niches in environments classically considered to be dominated by mammals. It was a highly diverse and successful genus, spanning a large number of species that occurred from the Priabonian Eocene to the Burdigalian Miocene epochs.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Bathornis (revision 1320555512), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q24259260.
