| Podiceps dixi Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Podicipediformes |
| Family: | Podicipedidae |
| Genus: | Podiceps |
| Species: | †P. dixi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Podiceps dixi | |
Podiceps dixi is a possible extinct species of grebe from the United States.
P. dixi was part of 5000 bird fossils that were cataloged from Reddick, Marion County, Florida. The material was collected by H. James Gut in 1950 and the species was described by the American ornithologist and paleontologist Pierce Brodkorb in 1963. The species name "dixi" is named after the Dixie Lime Products Company where they had a mine located at the Reddick beds where the fossil was found. [1]
The holotype and only specimen (UF/PB 1113) is of a proximal end of the right carpometacarpus. It is similar to the living horned grebe (P. auritus) but somewhat larger. [1]
Due to the overall similarity of the bone to those of horned grebes, as well as the fragmentary nature of it, some authors have question the validity of the species suggesting that the name be a junior synonym of P. auritus. [2] [3]
The age of the P. dixi limb element is that of the Rancholabrean. During that time P. dixi would have been a contemporary of other waterbirds including the horned grebe and the pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps). [1]
Gaviiformes is an order of aquatic birds containing the loons or divers and their closest extinct relatives. Modern gaviiformes are found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia, though prehistoric species were more widespread.
Loons or divers are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus Gavia, family Gaviidae and order Gaviiformes.
Grebes are aquatic diving birds in the order Podicipediformes. Grebes are widely distributed freshwater birds, with some species also found in marine habitats during migration and winter. Most grebes fly, although some flightless species exist, most notably in stable lakes. The order contains a single family, the Podicipedidae, which includes 22 species in six extant genera.
The red-necked grebe is a migratory aquatic bird found in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Its wintering habitat is largely restricted to calm waters just beyond the waves around ocean coasts, although some birds may winter on large lakes. Grebes prefer shallow bodies of fresh water such as lakes, marshes or fish-ponds as breeding sites.
The horned grebe or Slavonian grebe is a relatively small and threatened species of waterbird in the family Podicipedidae. There are two subspecies: P. a. auritus, which breeds in Eurasia, and P. a. cornutus, which breeds in North America. The Eurasian subspecies is distributed over most of northern Europe and northern Asia, breeding from Greenland east to the Russian Far East. The North American subspecies spans most of Canada and some of the United States. The species got its name from large patches of yellowish feathers located behind the eyes, called "horns", that the birds can raise and lower at will..
Podilymbus is a genus of birds in the Grebe family, the genus name is derived from Latin Podilymbus, a contraction of podicipes —the origin of the name of the grebe order—and Ancient Greek kolymbos, "diver".
Podiceps is a genus of birds in the grebe family. The genus name comes from Latin podicis, "rear-end" and ped, "foot", and is a reference to the placement of a grebe's legs towards the rear of its body.
Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1963.
Titanohierax gloveralleni, also known as the Bahama eagle, is a large species of extinct hawk from the Late Quaternary of the Caribbean. Remains of the animal have been found on multiple islands in The Bahamas. The animal is known from a handful of bones found across multiple islands, including a tarsometatarsus, partial metacarpal, and nearly complete right ulna. The animal was described based off the former two by Alexander Wetmore in 1937, with all other currently referred material being assigned by Storrs Olson and colleagues in 1982.
The Orange County paleontological sites are assemblages of Late Pleistocene vertebrates occurring in Orange County, Florida.
Thiornis is a fossil genus of Middle Miocene grebe known from a nearly complete specimen from Libros, Spain. Originally classified as a type of moorhen, Thiornis has since been classified as a species of grebe. The overall anatomy of the bird is identical to modern grebes. It contains a single species, T. sociata.
Pliolymbus is a fossil genus of grebe known from the Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene of United States and Mexico. It is known from a single species, P. baryosteus.
Podilymbus wetmorei is an extinct species of grebe recovered from the Late Pleistocene age of the United States.
Podicipedini is a tribe of waterbirds belonging to the family Podicipedidae containing the genera Aechmophorus and Podiceps. Members of this tribe of grebes are characterized based on the presence of nuptial plumes and downy young with a bare crown patch. They are more specialized for diving though the anatomy that enables them to do so makes them weaker to stand upright. Further they have much complex mating dance rituals. Based on these characteristics, other possible genera in the clade include Poliocephalus and Rollandia. Indeed a molecular phylogeny by Ogawa et al. (2015) using genetic data from 3 mitochondrial markers found Podiceps to be paraphyletic in respect to Rollandia, as the latter genus is more closely related to several New World species of the former genus. The inclusion of the Neogene genera of Pliolymbus and Thiornis is based on their possible reclassification as junior synonyms as Podiceps.
Podiceps csarnotanus is an extinct species of Upper Pliocene grebe from Hungary.
Podiceps oligoceanus is an extinct species of grebe possibly from the Neogene period which the specimen has been found in the United States.
Podiceps howardae is a possible extinct species of grebe from the United States, possibly a larger and earlier form of the horned grebe.
Podiceps solidus is an extinct small species of Upper Miocene to Lower Pliocene grebe from Western Mongolia.
Podiceps discors is an extinct species of grebe from the Upper Pliocene of western North America. It was similar to the black-necked grebe.