Palaegithalus fossil map
Where fossils of Palaegithalus 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 | 37.71–33.9 million years ago (Priabonian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Paridae |
| Named by | Milne-Edwards 1869 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | France |
| Rock formations | txn:99146 |
About Palaegithalus
Palaegithalus is an extinct monotypic genus containing the only species Palaegithalus cuvieri, sometimes referred to as Cuvier's wagtail, is an extinct species of bird from the Upper Eocene, about 34 to 37 million years ago. This small long-legged bird was formally described by Paul Gervais in 1852, from an "ornitholite" found in 1781 in the quarries of Montmartre and previously studied by Robert de Lamanon, Alberto Fortis and Georges Cuvier, the specific epithet being dedicated to the latter.
The taxon was first placed by Gervais in the genus Sitta (nuthatches), but its membership in the group Sittidae was later disputed. Transferred for a time to the Paridae or Motacillidae (earning it the nickname of wagtail), it seems in reality not to belong to the order Passeriformes (passerines). If its systematic placement is still uncertain because of the poor condition of the fossil, the species is at least placed in its own genus, Palaegithalus, placed in the family Paridae or related to Sylphornithidae, an Eocene group close to the root of the order Piciformes and whose members are characterized by an extremely long and thin tarsometatarsus.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Palaegithalus (revision 1380559996), 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: Q136807101.
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