Horusornithidae

Taxobox
name = Horusornithidae
status = fossil
fossil_range = Late Eocene
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Falconiformes
familia = Horusornithidae
familia_authority = Mourer-Chauviré, 1991
genus = "Horusornis"
genus_authority = Mourer-Chauviré, 1991
species = "H. vianeyliaudae"
binomial = "Horusornis vianeyliaudae"
binomial_authority = Mourer-Chauviré, 1991

The Horusornithidae are a prehistoric family of birds of prey. They are part of the Falconiformes. Their name means "Horus-birds": the Egyptian god Horus was sometimes depicted as a falcon.

"Horusornis vianeyliaudae" is presently the only known species. It lived approximately at the end of the Eocene, some 35 mya in what today is France. Its fossils were found in Quercy.

The relationships between falcons and other birds of prey (such as hawks and eagles) are not resolved to satisfaction. "Horusornis" may have been a "missing link" uniting falcons, hawks, and the secretarybird. If falcons are more distantly related to other birds of prey, the horusornithids would rather be basal relatives of hawks that somewhat resembled falcons due to convergent evolution.

References

* Haaramo, Mikko (2005): [http://www.fmnh.helsinki.fi/users/haaramo/ Mikko's Phylogeny Archive] : [http://www.fmnh.helsinki.fi/users/haaramo/Metazoa/Deuterostoma/Chordata/Archosauria/Aves/Falconiformes/Accipitridae.htm Accipitridae] . Version of 2005-NOV-15. Retrieved 2007-MAY-17.