Pelagornis

This article is about the Neogene fossil bird. For the Cretaceous genus formerly described as Pelagornis by Seeley, see Enaliornis.

Pelagornis
Temporal range: Late Oligocene–Early Pleistocene (Chattian–Gelasian)
25–2.5 Ma
Reconstruction of a P. miocaenus skeleton at the NMNH.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: †Odontopterygiformes
Family: †Pelagornithidae
Genus: †Pelagornis
Lartet, 1857
Type species
†Pelagornis miocaenus
Lartet, 1857
Species

†P. miocaenus Lartet, 1857
†P. mauretanicus Mourer-Chauviré & Geraads, 2008
†P. chilensis Mayr & Rubilar, 2010
†P. sandersi Ksepka, 2014
and see text

Synonyms

see text

Pelagornis is an extinct genus of prehistoric pseudotooth birds, a group of extinct seabirds. Species span from the Oligocene to the Early Pleistocene. Members of Pelagorinis represent among the largest pseudotooth birds, with one species. P. sandersi, having the widest wingspan of any bird known.