Psittacopes fossil map
Where fossils of Psittacopes have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 56 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 56 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 | 56–48.07 million years ago (Ypresian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Psittacopedidae |
| Named by | Mayr and Daniels 1998 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United Kingdom |
| Rock formations | London Clay |
About Psittacopes
Psittacopes is an extinct genus of bird from Middle Eocene. One species is recorded from Messel, Germany (P. lepidus), and other three possible species are from London Clay, England, one named ?Psittacopes occidentalis in 2022, and the other two unnamed. Its phylogenetic placement within Aves is uncertain; it was originally interpreted as a parrot, but the phylogenetic analysis conducted by Mayr (2015) recovered it as more closely related to the passerines and the extinct family Zygodactylidae.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Psittacopes (revision 1380012974), 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: Q7256089.
