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Aegialornis Temporal range: Early? - Late Eocene
Aegialornis gallicus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Clade:	Strisores
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	†Aegialornithidae Lydekker, 1891
Genus:	†Aegialornis Lydekker, 1891
Species
Aegialornis gallicus (type) Aegialornis leenhardti (disputed) Aegialornis wetmorei Aegialornis broweri (disputed) Aegialornis germanicus (disputed)
Synonyms
Tachyornis Milne-Edwards, 1892 Belornis Milne-Edwards, 1893 Mesogiornis Mlíkovský, 2002

Aegialornis is a genus of prehistoric apodiform birds. It formed a distinct family, the Aegialornithidae, and was in some ways intermediate between modern swifts and owlet-nightjars, lacking the more extreme adaptations to an aerial lifestyle that swifts show today, but already having sickle-shaped wings like them. They do not appear to be a direct ancestor of modern swifts, however, but rather a group that retained an overall basal morphology. Altogether, they were not too dissimilar from modern treeswifts.

Fossils of Aegialornis have been found in Middle to Late Eocene deposits of Germany and France. An Early Eocene record from the Nanjemoy Formation of Virginia, United States (USNM 496384) is very doubtful, as apodiform birds seem not to have occurred there until after the Eocene. This bone might more properly belong to the Parvicuculidae. The taxonomy of the species is quite convoluted, with both the smaller A. germanicus and the larger A. leenhardti being sometimes considered junior synonyms of A. gallicus, which in turn is sometimes erroneously assumed to be identical to Cypselavus gallicus. Similarly, A. broweri is occasionally considered to be based on small individuals of A. wetmorei, and these latter two taxa were recently separated as genus Mesogiornis (Mlíkovský, 2002); this does not appear to have found general acceptance however. The presumed species Aegialornis szarskii is now placed in Scaniacypselus.

Which genera apart from the present one should be included in the Aegialornithidae is not quite certain. Primapus belongs either here or is a basal true swift, and Cypselavus is either an aegialornithid or a treeswift. The latter group is sometimes controversially included in the Aegialornithidae, as are the Jungornithidae, another prehistoric apodiform family that was somewhat intermediate between treeswifts and hummingbirds.

References

1. Etymology: Aegialornis, "beach bird", from Ancient Greek aegial-, "beach" + ornis, "bird". The first bones were recovered from sediments of a former lagoon at Quercy, France.
2. Mayr, Gerald & Mourer-Chauviré: A specimen of Parvicuculus Harrison & Walker 1977 (Aves: Parvicuculidae) from the early Eocene of France. Bull. B. O. C. 125(4): 299-304. PDF fulltext

External links

• Fossil picture.

v t e Genera of nightjars, hummingbirds, swifts and their extinct allies
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Clade: Passerea Clade: Strisores
Strisores †Archaeotrogonidae Archaeodromus Archaeotrogon Hassiavis Caprimulgiformes †"Wyomingcypselus" Caprimulgidae †Ventivorus Caprimulginae Antrostomus Caprimulgus Eleothreptus Gactornis Hydropsalis Macropsalis Nyctidromus Nyctiphrynus Nyctipolus Phalaenoptilus Setopagis Siphonorhis Systellura Uropsalis Veles Chordeilinae Chordeiles Lurocalis Nyctiprogne Eurostopodinae Eurostopodus Lyncornis Vanescaves Sedentaves Steatornithiformes †Euronyctibius †Prefica †Protocypselomorphus †Fluvioviridavidae Fluvioviridavis Steatornithidae Steatornis Nyctibiiformes Nyctibiidae †Parapreficinae Paraprefica Nyctibiinae Nyctibius Phyllaemulor Letornithes Podargiformes Podargiformes †Masillapodargus †Quercypodargus Podargidae Batrachostomus Podargus Rigidipenna Apodimorphae See below ↓
Apodimorphae †Eocypselidae Eocypselus Daedalornithes incertae sedis †Palescyvus Aegotheliformes †Quipollornis Aegothelidae Aegotheles Apodiformes †Cypseloramphus? †Aegialornithidae Aegialornis Primapus Procuculus? †Cypselavidae Argornis Cypselavus Parargornis †Jungornithidae Jungornis Trochiloidea See below ↓ Apodidae See below ↓
Trochiloidea incertae sedis †Eurotrochilus Trochilidae Florisuginae Florisuga Topaza Phaethornithinae Anopetia Eutoxeres Glaucis Phaethornis Ramphodon Threnetes Polytminae Androdon Anthracothorax Augastes Avocettula Chrysolampis Colibri Doryfera Eulampis Heliactin Heliothryx Polytmus Schistes Polytminae Heliantheini Aglaeactis Boissonneaua Coeligena Eriocnemis Ensifera Haplophaedia Heliodoxa Lafresnaya Loddigesia Ocreatus Pterophanes Urochroa Urosticte Lesbiini Adelomyia Aglaiocercus Chalcostigma Discosura Heliangelus Lesbia Lophornis Metallura Opisthoprora Oreonympha Oreotrochilus Oxypogon Phlogophilus Polyonymus Ramphomicron Sappho Sephanoides Taphrolesbia Patagoninae Patagona Trochilinae Trochilini Abeillia Amazilia Amazilis Anthocephala Basilinna Campylopterus Chalybura Chionomesa Chlorestes Chlorostilbon Chrysuronia Cynanthus Elliotomyia Eupetomena Eupherusa Goldmania Hylocharis Klais Leucippus Leucochloris Microchera Orthorhyncus Pampa Phaeochroa Phaeoptila Polyerata Ramosomyia Riccordia Saucerottia Stephanoxis Talaphorus Taphrospilus Thalurania Thaumasius Trochilus Uranomitra Lampornithini Eugenes Heliomaster Hylonympha Lampornis Lamprolaima Panterpe Sternoclyta Mellisugini Archilochus Calliphlox Calothorax Calypte Chaetocercus Doricha Eulidia Mellisuga Microstilbon Myrmia Myrtis Nesophlox Philodice Rhodopis Selasphorus Thaumastura Tilmatura [REDACTED]
Apodi incertae sedis †Laputavis †Procypseloides †Scaniacypselus Hemiprocnidae Hemiprocne Apodidae Apodinae Apodini Aeronautes Apus Cypsiurus Panyptila Tachornis Tachymarptis Chaeturini Chaetura Hirundapus Mearnsia Neafrapus Rhaphidura Telacanthura Zoonavena Collocaliini Aerodramus Collocalia Hydrochous Schoutedenapus Cypseloidinae Cypseloides Streptoprocne

• Apodiformes
• Eocene birds
• Prehistoric bird genera
• Eocene birds of Europe
• Fossil taxa described in 1891