biology

Presbyornis

Presbyornis is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Presbyornis rather than just read about it. In short: Presbyornis is an extinct genus of presbyornithid bird from North America during the Paleogene period, between the Late Paleocene and Early Eocene. History of discovery The fossil record of P. pervetus includes many complete skeletons from Green River Formation sites (Early Eocene), suggesting that the birds nested in colonies and that they possibly died due to volcanism or botulism, the latter of which is similar t…

Key takeaways

Presbyornis belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Presbyornis to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Presbyornis from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Presbyornis is an extinct genus of presbyornithid bird from North America during the Paleogene period, between the Late Paleocene and Early Eocene.

History of discovery

The fossil record of P. pervetus includes many complete skeletons from Green River Formation sites (Early Eocene), suggesting that the birds nested in colonies and that they possibly died due to volcanism or botulism, the latter of which is similar to many colony-nesting waterfowl or shorebirds today. Fossils identified as P. cf. pervetus have been discovered from the Margaret Formation of Ellesmere Island, where the remains of Gastornis sp. have also been found. P. recurvirostra is known from a partial wing (KUVP 10105) found in the Colton Formation, from the Late Paleocene to Early Eocene sediments of the Wasatch Plateau near Ephraim, Utah. P. isoni, much larger than P. pervetus, is known from the Late Paleocene Aquia Formation in Maryland, based on the partial humerus (USNM 294116) and partial fingerbone (USNM 294117) that were initially described, as well as a complete humerus (SMM P96.9.2). Three humeri that were initially believed to be from Headonornis are suggested to belong to P. isoni, and the holotype coracoid of Headonornis may also be assigned to as P. isoni, though these claims require additional material for confirmation. However, Headonornis is now referred to as a stem group representative of the Phoenicopteriformes. The holotype and paratypes of "P." mongoliensis are known from the Early Eocene of Mongolia, but these fragmentary specimens are poorly preserved and they likely belong to a stem Phoenicopterimorphae, not a presbyornithid. Undescribed fossils are also known from the Paleocene of Utah. Wunketru howardae, previously thought to be a species of Telmabates or a junior synonym of P. pervetus, is now considered a distinct anseriform.

Description

Along with Teviornis, Presbyornis was one of the earliest stem anseriforms. Because of its long legs and neck, Presbyornis could stand up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) tall and was initially mistaken for a flamingo, but it was reclassified as an anseriform when the duck-like anatomy of its skull and bill was found. Later, it was believed to represent a transitional stage between the anseriforms and the shorebirds, but it is now considered a member of an extinct group of anseriforms which was most closely related to modern screamers. Judging from numerous fossil findings, Presbyornis is presumed to have lived in colonies around shallow lakes. Its broad, flat bill was used to filter food (small plants and animals) from the water, in the manner of today's dabbling ducks.

Notes

References

References Dyke, Gareth J. (2001): The Fossil Waterfowl (Aves: Anseriformes) from the Eocene of England. American Museum Novitates 3354: 1–15. PDF fulltext Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 181. ISBN 1-84028-152-9. Wetmore, Alexander (1926): Fossil birds from the Green River Deposits of Eastern Utah. Annals of the Carnegie Museum 16: 391–402.

External links

Reconstruction of Presbyornis at critters.pixel-shack.com

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Presbyornis

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Presbyornis claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Presbyornis before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Presbyornis ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Presbyornis

In research: Presbyornis appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Presbyornis in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Presbyornis is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bird genera, Eocene birds, Fossil taxa described in 1926, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Presbyornis outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Presbyornis in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Presbyornis means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Presbyornis out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Presbyornis in simple terms?

Presbyornis is an extinct genus of presbyornithid bird from North America during the Paleogene period, between the Late Paleocene and Early Eocene. History of discovery The fossil record of P. pervetus includes many complete skeletons from Green River Formation sites (Early Eocene), suggesting that…

Why does Presbyornis matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Presbyornis?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Presbyornis.