SAPE Newsletter No. 15, October 2001

S OCIETY OF AVIAN PALEONTOLOGY

AND EVOLUTION

- Newsletter -

nº 15, October 2001

Secretary: GERALD MAYR, Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany e-mail: [email protected]

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Colleagues.

As a scientific society, SAPE has moved on two information. I would urge all members to begin fronts to further its goal of promoting international posting references to their papers as they appear. cooperation in the study of the evolutionary history On another front, the Executive Council of of birds. First, as most of you must know, through SAPE has been working to develop a Constitution the hard work of PER ERICSON and TOMMY and Bylaws for the society. A draft has been TYRBERG we have our own home page on the developed and is currently being circulated and WWW*, as well as a Listserv for those who choose discussed by the Executive Council. I have been to participate. I know from several non-members coordinating this effort, and although progress was that they have visited and used our home page, slowed for the past few months because I was and I regard it as a significant step forward for the away from Los Angeles, a draft should be available Society. Suggestions for improving the site are on our home page by the end of the year. We will always welcome. notify the membership once this becomes The Listserv has not generated the interest I available, and everyone who chooses to do so will know some members would like to see, but it has have the opportunity to comment on the draft served to disperse information that otherwise document. At the time the draft is posted (or would not have been readily available. The list was circulated by mail to those who do not have access not intended to be used as a ”chat room”; I think to the WWW) we will present explanations for the most of us are simply too busy to respond to every points we expect will raise the most questions. We comment that might arise from that type of a list, hope members will offer their comments on the even though we may wish to do so. There is one Listserv so that all may be part of the discussion. use of the list that has not yet arisen that I think We plan to have a final version ready for a vote of could be extremely useful, which is for members to acceptance by late spring of 2002. post their publications as they appear. Everyone As a final note, the 23rd International puts a lot of work into their papers, and letting Ornithological Congress will be held in Beijing, colleagues know that a paper has appeared should China, in August of next year. I am planning on become the final step in the publication process. attending and representing SAPE at that congress. This would be particularly useful for papers I hope to see many of you there! published in what are often referred to as ”obscure” serials or books. Although members list their Cordially, publications in our newsletter, its appearance only once a year does not promote rapid dispersal of Ken Campbell

* the internet address of the SAPE website is: http://www.nrm.se/ve/birds/sape/sape001.html.en the site also contains a regularly updated membership list

THE 6TH QUADRENNIAL MEETING OF SAPE: SITE SELECTION

The result of the election for the site of the next during those months and the town is very crowded. SAPE meeting is as follows: If you have any comments or suggestions regarding scheduling or any other matters, please Gainesville: 21 votes contact: Quillan: 42 votes. ERIC BUFFETAUT, CNRS, 16 cour du Liegat, 75013 Paris, France ([email protected]). The 6th SAPE meeting will thus be held in Since there were some rumors concerning the Quillan, France (see the last newsletter for further issue, it should be noted that 25 people voting for information). The exact dates for the 2004 meeting Quillan are members who attended a previous have not yet been decided upon. However, July SAPE meeting and regularly publish in avian and August are probably out of consideration paleontology. because Quillan is an important tourist destination

NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS AND RECENT PUBLICATIONS

ARGENTINA

CAROLINA ACOSTA HOSPITALECHE now works on tardío-temprano de Arroyo Chasicó, Argentina. the morphometrics of the various species of - XVII Jornadas Argentinas Paleontología Spheniscidae from Argentina. For her PhD, she Vertebrados. Esquel. further studies the stratigraphy and taphonomy of ACOSTA HOSPITALECHE, C.C. TAMBUSSI, C.P. & this group. REGUERO, M. (2001): Catálogo de los tipos de JORGE I. NORIEGA is currently describing a fossil Aves fósiles del Museo de La Plata. - Revista specimen of Sarcoramphus cf. papa (Ciconii- del Museo, Serie Tecníca y Didáctica, 41: 1-28. formes: Vulturidae) from Late Pleistocene CARLINI, A.A., SCILLATO YANÉ, G.J., NORIEGA, J.I. & sediments of Buenos Aires Province (Argentina), ACEÑOLAZA, F.G. (2000): Perezosos terrestres which has very interesting paleozoogeographic (Xenarthra: Tardigrada) del ”Mesopotamiense” and paleoenvironmental implications for the last (Formación Ituzaingó, Mioceno tardío) de la glacial maximum times. Together with CLAUDIA provincia de Entre Ríos, Argentina. - Studia TAMBUSSI, he continues to work on hind-limb bones Geologica Salmanticensia, 36: 13-27. of a medium sized phorusrhacid from the Late CIONE, A.L., AZPELICUETA, M., BOND, M., CARLINI, Miocene of Entre Rios Province of Argentina, A., CASCIOTTA, J., COZZUOL, M., DE LA FUENTE, comparing it with another very similar and more M., GASPARINI, Z., GOIN, F., NORIEGA, J.I., complete specimen which comes from earlier SCILLATO-YANÉ, G. J., SOIBELZON, L., TONNI, sediments of the Santa Cruz Province (Patagonia). E.P., VERZI, D. & VUCETICH, M.G. (2000): Together with STORRS OLSON and GERARDO Miocene vertebrates from Entre Ríos, eastern CLADERA (Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio Argentina. - In: ACEÑOLAZA, F. G. & HERBST, R. de Trelew), he started to study a Miocene fossil (eds.): El Neógeno de Argentina. - INSUGEO, stork (Ciconiidae) from Patagonia. Together with Serie Correlación Geológica, 14: 191-237. ANDRÉS RINDERKNECHT (Museo Nacional de NORIEGA, J.I. (2000): Body mass estimation and Historia Natural de Montevideo, Uruguay), he locomotion of the Miocene pelecaniform bird further describes a pelvic girdle of a new giant Macranhinga. - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, darter (Pelecaniformes: Anhingidae) from the 46 (2): 115-128. Pliocene of Uruguay Republic. NORIEGA, J.I., MANZANO, A.S., DE LA FUENTE, M.S. & TONNI, E.P. (2000): Un Testudininae gigante ACOSTA HOSPITALECHE, C. & TAMBUSSI, C. (2000): (Chelonii: Cryptodira) del Pleistoceno de la Pterocnemia pennata en el Pleistoceno tardío- Provincia de Corrientes. - Ameghiniana, 37 (3): Holoceno de Monte Hermoso, provincia de 321-326. Buenos Aires (Argentina): su importancia TONNI, E.P. &. NORIEGA, J.I. (2001): Una especie paleoambiental. Comunicaciones Anuales de la extinta de Pseudoseisura Reichenbach 1853 APA. - Ameghiniana, 37 (4). Suplemento 2000, (Passeriformes: Furnariidae) del Pleistoceno de Res·menes: 68R. la Argentina: comentarios filogenéticos. - ACOSTA HOSPITALECHE, C. (2001): Restos de Ornitología Neotropical, 12 (1): 29-44. Hermosiornis (Aves, Gruiformes) del Mioceno .

AUSTRALIA

In 2000, WALTER BOLES completed his PhD on of the dromornithid Barawertornis tedfordi, lacking "Investigations on Australian Tertiary Avifauna, some of the diagnostic features.) A checklist of the with an Emphasis on the Fossil Birds of Tertiary and named fossil birds of Australia is Riversleigh, Northwestern Queensland". With awaiting final checks before submission. TESSA IVISON, he described a dwarf megapode New projects that Walter plans to undertake Ngawupodius minya from the Late Oligocene of include studies on several central Australian fossils central Australia, and also published a comparison of Columbiformes and Charadriiformes and the of the diverse sternal osteology of Australian development of an identification guide to the major pigeons. bones of Australian bird families. He was asked to Several papers arising from his thesis are in press identify a collection of well-preserved Pleistocene or have been submitted for publication. The fossils from a cave in South Australia. Almost all description of the new emu mentioned in the 1999 belonged to the giant megapodes of the genus Newsletter will be published later this year. This Progura. This genus currently comprises two form comes from Late Oligocene deposits of species, P. gallinacea and P. naracoortensis; central Australia. It has not been possible to however, there is a question whether the latter is a determine if this taxon had the derived features of valid species or represents the smaller sex of a the hindlimb that diagnose the genus Dromaius, so markedly dimorphic species. Nothing has been it has been tentatively assigned to the more done on these birds since 1974, and the osteology primitive Emuarius. After some delays, the remains to be described and their relationships to description of the swiftlet Collocalia from Late other Australian megapodes has not been Oligocene/Early Miocene deposits at Riversleigh, examined. Walter is undertaking a project looking Queensland will be published in a special volume at the extensive, but unstudied, material in the of Memoirs of the Australasian Society of South Australian Museum, most of which has Palaeontologists, hopefully later this year. The come from other cave deposits. The aims will be to study of another Riversleigh fossil, a flightless rail (1) describe the osteology, (2) identify how many similar to the Australian native-hens Gallinula species are represented and, if there is only one (subgenus Tribonyx), was submitted to the species, (3) determine whether the size differences proceedings of the Beijing SAPE meeting. are due to sexual dimorphism or marked individual Specimens assigned to this species have been variation. A very well preserved endocast of a found at sites dating from the Late Oligocene dromornithid bird was previously found at through the Middle Miocene. An overview of the Riversleigh. This year, at another site, a second fossil history of Australian birds has been endocast was found, this one still in a partial skull. submitted as a chapter of a forthcoming book, Walter is hoping that these finds will provide clues "Evolution and Zoogeography of Australasian to the sensory capabilities of these intriguing birds. Vertebrates". It attempts to integrate more recent findings with the previously known record and BOLES, W.E. (1999): Comments on the sternal interpret this history in light of what is now known morphology of Australo-Papuan pigeons. - of palaeogeography of Australia. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists Club, 119: Of the unpublished chapters of his doctoral work, 144-151. Walter hopes to submit several in the near future, BOLES, W.E. & IVISON, T.J. (1999): A new genus of including a revision of Australian Tertiary storks dwarf megapode (Galliformes: Megapodiidae) (Ciconiidae) of the genus Ciconia and Tertiary from the Late Oligocene of central Australia. - honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) from Riversleigh. A In: OLSON, S.L. (ed): Avian Paleontology at the large component of his thesis consists of work on Close of the 20th Century: Proceedings of the the osteology, systematics and palaeobiology of 4th International Meeting of the Society of Avian the two species of the Dromornithidae from the Paleontology and Evolution, Washington, D.C., Late Oligocene – Middle Miocene of Riversleigh. 4-7 June 1996. - Smithsonian Contributions to Extra motivation will be required before revisiting Paleobiology, 89: 199-206. them. (Note – the cassowary mentioned in the 1999 Newsletter turned out to be young individual

BRAZIL

HÖFLING, E. & ALVARENGA, H.M.F. (2001): Passeriformes and related groups of birds. - Osteology of the shoulder girdle in the Piciformes, Zoologischer Anzeiger, 240: 196-208.

BULGARIA

In 2000, ZLATOZAR BOEV did field work at the BOEV, Z. (1999): Regulus bulgaricus sp. n. - the following localities: Ratiaria, a late Holocene site first fossil Kinglet (Aves: Sylviidae) from the (some findings of Phasianidae, Anatidae, and Late Pliocene of Varshets (W Bulgaria). - Otitidae); Balsha, a new Late Pliocene/Early Historia naturalis bulgarica, 10: 109-115. Pleistocene site of W-Bulgaria (findings of Lagopus BOEV, Z. (1999): Gallinula balcanica sp. n. sp.); Kunino, an early Pleistocene site of NW- (Rallidae: Gruiformes) - a Middle Villafranchian Bulgaria (some findings of Non-Passeriform birds); Moorhen from Western Bulgaria. - Acta Hadzhidimovo, a Middle Miocene site of SW- zoologica bulgarica, 51 (1): 43-47. Bulgaria (some findings of Anatidae and other BOEV, Z. (1999): 60 years of the birth of Dr. Tanyo Non-Passeriform birds). In 2001, he collected Michev - an ornithologist, nature conservator, aditional bird material in Varshets, Bulgaria. photographer. - Historia naturalis bulgarica, 10: 116. [in Bulgarian] BOEV, Z. (1998): Presence of Bald Ibises BOEV, Z. (2000): Neogene avifaunas of Bulgaria. - (Geronticus Wagler, 1832) (Threskiornithidae - Vertebrata PalAsiatica, 38 (Suppl.): 2-3. Aves) in the Late Pliocene of Bulgaria. - (Abstract). Geologica Balcanica, 28 (1-2): 45-52. BOEV, Z. (2000): Cygnus verae sp. n. BOEV, Z. (1998): The fossil birds of Dorkovo - an (Anseriformes: Anatidae) from the Early Early Pliocene site in the Rhodope Mts. Pliocene of Sofia (Bulgaria). - Acta zoologica (Southern Bulgaria). - Geologica Balcanica, 28 cracoviensia, 43 (1-2): 185-192. (1-2): 53-60. BOEV, Z. (2000): Early Pleistocene and Early BOEV, Z. (1998): A range fluctuation of Alpine swift Holocene Avifauna of the Cherdzhenitsa Cave (Apus melba (L., 1758)) (Apodidae - Aves) in (Northwestern Bulgaria) - Historia naturalis Nothern Balkan Peninsula in the Riss-Wurm bulgarica, 11: 107-116. interglacial. - Biogeographia, Nuova Serie, 19, BOEV, Z. (2000): A book about the bird life of the 1997: 213-218. Rhodopes. - Historia naturalis bulgarica, 11: BOEV, Z. (1998): Peafowl (g. Pavo Linnaeus, 1758) 126. [in Bulgarian] and Ptarmigans (g. Lagopus Brisson, 1760): An BOEV, Z. (2000): 70-th anniversary of Dr. Nikolay unique coexistence in North Bulgaria over 3 m. Iliev - a veterinarian, local lore researcher and y. ago. - Biogeographia, Nuova Serie, 19, 1997: archaeozoologist. - Historia naturalis bulgarica, 219-222. 11: 160. [in Bulgarian] BOEV, Z. (1998): The birds in the Neogene - BOEV, Z. (2000): The Presence of Apus baranensis Quaternary. - Priroda, BAS. 1-2: 57-67. [in Janossy, 1977 (Apodidae - Aves) in the Late Bulgarian] Pliocene of Bulgaria. - Acta zoologica bulgarica, SIMEONOV, S., MILCHEV, B. & BOEV, Z. (1998): 52 (2): 43-52. Study of the Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo (L.)) (Aves: BOEV, Z. (2000): Additional material of Geronticus Strigiformes) in Strandzha mountain (Southeast balcanicus Boev, 1998 and Precision of the Age Bulgaria). II. Food spectrum and trophic of the Type Locality - Acta zoologica bulgarica, specialization. - Acta zoologica bulgarica, 50 52 (2): 53-58. (2/3): 87-100. BOEV, Z. (2000): Late Pleistocene Avifauna of the BOEV, Z. & KOVACHEV, D. (1999): Buteo spassovi Razhishkata Cave (W Bulgaria). - Historia sp. n. - a Late Miocene Buzzard (Accipitridae, naturalis bulgarica, 12: 71-87. Aves) from SW Bulgaria. - Geologica Balcanica, BOEV, Z. (2000): The paleornithology and 29 (1-2): 125-129. archaeornithology as paleozoological brancehs. BOEV, Z. (1999): Earliest finds of crossbills (genus - Historia naturalis bulgarica, 12: 157-166. Loxia) (Aves: Fringillidae) from Varshets (NW BOEV, Z. (2000): A Late Miocene Gull (Larinae Bulgaria). - Geologica balcanica, 29 (3-4): 51- gen. indet.) (Laridae Vigors, 1825 - 57. Charadriiformes Huxley, 1867) from Hrabarsko BOEV, Z. (1999): Falco bakalovi sp. n. - a Late (W Bulgaria). - Geologica Balcanica, 30 (1-2): Pliocene falcon (Falconidae, Aves) from 25-31. Varshets (W Bulgaria). - Geologica Balcanica, BOEV, Z. & KOUFOS, G. (2000): The presence of 29 (1-2): 131-135. Pavo bravardi (Gervais, 1849) (Aves, BOEV, Z. (1999): On the presence of Tetrao Phasianidae) in the Ruscinian locality of Megalo partium (Kretzoi, 1962) (Tetraonidae - Emvolon, Macedonia, Greece. - Geologica Galliformes) in the Late Pliocene of Bulgaria. - Balcanica, 30 (1-2): 69-74. Historia naturalis bulgarica, 10: 85-96. BOEV, Z. (2001): Early Pliocene avifauna of BOEV, Z. (1999): Late Pliocene Bustards (Otitidae, Muselievo (Northern Bulgaria) - Acta zoologica Gray, 1845) from W Bulgaria. - Historia cracoviensia, 44 (1): 37-52. naturalis bulgarica, 10: 97-108.

STORRS OLSON and WILLIAM SUÁREZ will in the summer of last year. For this reason, continue the study of fossil birds which they started WILLIAM SUÁREZ will be in Washington/D.C. from

October to December. They have been working on since the editor of Cotinga changed the original some interesting remains from caves and asphalt title). deposits. WILLIAM SUÁREZ is also planing to start SUÁREZ, W. (2001): Deletion of the flightless Ibis working on some interesting remains of vultures Xenicibis from the fossil record of Cuba. - Car. from Cuba. He is further preparing some other J. Sci., 37 (1-2): 109-110. papers on Cuban fossil birds, e.g. about the SUÁREZ, W. (2001): A reevaluation of some fossils interesting avifauna from the asphalt deposits of identified as vultures (Aves: Vulturidae) from San Felipe, Western Cuba. Quaternary cave deposits of Cuba. - Car. J. Sci., 37 (1-2): 110-111. ITURRALDE-VINENT, M., MACPHEE, R.D.E., DÍAZ- SUÁREZ, W. & OLSON, S.L. (2001): A remarkable FRANCO, S., ROJAS- CONSUEGRA, R., SUÁREZ, new species of small falcon from the W. & LOMBA, A. (2000): Las Breas de San Quaternary of Cuba (Aves: Falconidae: Falco). Felipe, a Quaternary asphalt seep near Martí ( - Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 114 (1): 34-41. Matanzas Province, Cuba). - Car. J. Sci., 36 (3- SUÁREZ, W. & OLSON, S.L. (2001): Further 4): 300-313. characterization of Caracara creightoni SUÁREZ, W. (2000): Fossil evidence for the Brodkorb based on fossils from the Quaternary occurrence of Cuban Poorwill Siphonorhis of Cuba (Aves: Falconidae). - Proc. Biol. Soc. daiquiri in western Cuba. - Cotinga, 14: 66-68. Wash., 114 (2): 501-508. (Note: this is the correct citation of the paper,

FRANCE

VÉRONIQUE LAROULANDIE finished her PhD in LAROULANDIE, V. (2000): Taphonomie et December 2000. She continues to study the Archéozoologie des Oiseaux en Grotte: taphonomy and zooarchaeology of bird bones from Applications aux sites Paléolithiques du Bois- France. Ragot (Vienne), de Combe Saunière ANTOINE LOUCHART has also completed his PhD (Dordogne) et de La Vache (Ariège). - Thèse dissertation and is going to defend it in December d’Université, Université de Bordeaux I; 396 pp. 2001 (title: Oiseaux insulaires. Le cas du (a pdf-version is available by email or CD rom). Pléistocène de Corse et son contexte, écologie, LAROULANDIE, V. (in press): Exploitation du Harfang évolution, biogéographie et extinctions). He further au Magdalénien final: l’exemple du Bois-Ragot worked on fossil bird material which was collected (Gouex, Vienne). - Bulletin de la Société by the team of the Middle Awash Project, in the Préhistorique Française. Miocene and Pliocene of the Middle Awash (Afar LAROULANDIE, V. (in press): Les traces liées à la depression, Ethiopia), and which is deposited in boucherie, à la cuisson et à la consommation the National Museum of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. d’oiseaux: apport de l’expérimentation. - In: Since the last newsletter, CÉCILE MOURER- BOURGUIGNON, L., ORTEGA, I. & FRÈRE-SAUTOT, CHAUVIRÉ took part at an European Science M.-C. (eds.): Préhistoire et approche Foundation Workshop ("Origin and Early Evolution expérimentale. - Montagnac, Monique of Birds"), organized in September 2000 in Mergoual, collection préhistoire. Strasbourg by ERIC BUFFETAUT. In November, MOURER-CHAUVIRÉ, C. (2001): L’avifaune originelle Cécile again went to Réunion Island for a new de la Réunion et l’impact de l’arrivée de campaign of fieldworks. Since that time, she spent l’homme. - Le Taille-Vent, Saint-Denis de la much of her time in participating in PhD Réunion, Numéro spécial Braconnage: 2-4. dissertation committees, and in reviewing SALOTTI, M., BELLOT-GOURLET, L., COURTOIS, J.-Y., manuscripts, and her own research did thus not DUBOIS, J.-N., LOUCHART, A., MOURER- progress very much. CHAUVIRÉ, C., OBERLIN, C., PEREIRA, E., POUPEAU, G. & TRAMPONI, P. (2000): La fin du CHENEVAL, J. (2000): L’avifaune de Sansan. - In: Pléistocène et le début de l’Holocène en Corse: GINSBURG, L. (ed.): La faune miocène de Apports paléontologiques et archéologiques du Sansan et son environnement. - Mémoires du Site de Castiglione (Oletta, Haute-Corse). - Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, 183: 321- Quaternaire, 11 (3-4): 219-230. 388.

GERMANY

The research project of URSULA GÖHLICH on the professor at the Institut für Paläontologie und Miocene avifaunas from Southern Germany will be Historische Geologie in Munich, during a supported by the German Science Foundation colleagues’ maternity leave. As in the past years, (DFG) for two more years. In the first half of the in summer she participated in the final excavation year, she was occupied with teaching invertebrate in Sandelzhausen (Bavarian Upper Freshwater paleontology and historical geology as assistant Molasse). Studies on a new crane from the early

Middle Miocene of Sandelzhausen and a barn owl MAYR, G. (2000): Die Vögel der Grube Messel - ein from the Middle Miocene of Steinberg (Nördlinger Einblick in die Vogelwelt Mitteleuropas vor 49 Ries) are in preparation. Millionen Jahren. - Natur und Museum, 130 ALBRECHT MANEGOLD is working on his PhD- (11): 365-378. [The birds of the Messel pit - an thesis, which deals with the phylogenetic insight into the avifauna of Central Europe 49 relationships of coraciiform, piciform and million years ago; in German]. passeriform birds. For reconstructing a cladogram MAYR, G. (2000): New or previously unrecorded he especially uses osteological and myological avian taxa from the Middle Eocene of Messel characters of the forelimb. (Hessen, Germany). - Mitt. Mus. Nat.kd. Berl., GERALD MAYR continues to work on the Middle Geowiss. Reihe, 3: 207-219. Eocene Messel avifauna. He identified a MAYR, G. (2000): Charadriiform birds from the postcranial skeleton of the enigmatic early Oligocene of Céreste (France) and the Palaeopsittacus which confirms previous Middle Eocene of Messel (Hessen, Germany). - assumptions that the genus was incorrectly Géobios, 33 (5): 625-636. referred to the Psittaciformes. He also described MAYR, G. (2001): The earliest fossil record of a the first record of a pelecaniform bird from Messel modern-type piciform bird from the late and tentatively referred the specimen - an isolated Oligocene of Germany. - J. Ornithol., 142 (1): 2- skull - to the Sulidae. He further finished the 6. description of a complete skeleton of a new taxon MAYR, G. (2001): Comments on the osteology of of the Jungornithidae which for the first time shows Masillapodargus longipes Mayr 1999 and the peculiar feathering of these birds. In a Paraprefica major Mayr 1999, caprimulgiform cooperation with RICHARD SMITH, he described birds from the Middle Eocene of Messel avian remains (mainly Anatidae, Rallidae, and (Hessen, Germany). - Neues Jahrbuch für Charadriiformes) from the lowermost Oligocene of Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte, 2001 Hoogbutsel (Belgium). A further major project (2): 65-76. finished in 2001 was a phylogenetic analysis of MAYR, G. (2001): A new specimen of the tiny recent caprimulgiform birds, the results of which Middle Eocene bird Gracilitarsus mirabilis (new will be published in the Journal für Ornithologie. family: Gracilitarsidae). - Condor, 103 (1): 78- HARALD PIEPER works on subfossil birds from 84. the Ilhes Desertas, Darwin, and Madeira (including MAYR, G. (2001): New specimens of the Middle the extinct finches). Eocene fossil mousebird Selmes absurdipes ILKA WEIDIG continues her PhD on the birds Peters 1999. - Ibis, 143 (3): 427-434. from the Green River Formation. MAYR, G. & DANIELS, M. (2001): A new short- legged landbird from the early Eocene of GÖHLICH, U.B. & FAHLBUSCH, V. (2000): Die ober- Wyoming and contemporaneous European oligozänen Fossilfundstellen von Habach sites. - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 46 (3): (Untere Süßwassermolasse, Oberbayern). - 393-402. Mitteilungen der Bayerischen Staatssammlung MLÍKOVSKÝ, J. & GÖHLICH, U.B. (2000): A new für Paläontologie und historische Geologie, 40: wood-hoopoe (Aves: Phoeniculidae) from the 181-200. early Miocene of Germany and France. - Acta GÖHLICH, U.B. & MAYR, G. (2001): Zu Besuch bei Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae, 64: 419-424. Confuciusornis & Co. in Nordost-China. - Natur und Museum, 131 (11). (in press)

GREAT BRITAIN

Since the circulation of the last newsletter, recoveries from this locality may be of intermixed MICHAEL DANIELS has continued to have species. Because this factor has not been taken reasonable success finding Naze birds. For some into consideration, the confusion is clearly evident. time the London Clay has been largely obscured The outcome has been that the true identity of the by sand and without access to this lower Eocene fossils has been misrepresented, leading to invalid deposit, resulting in few birds. However, when the referrals. In every case the relics described almost shore was fully exposed he was able to remove certainly have close counterparts in the Daniels accumulations for later processing. These are now collection. This material is always available for receiving his attention, together with the last four inspection and indeed, one of the authors involved acquisitions (each containing bird but none visited Holland-on-Sea twice to benefit from this extensively preserved). He has been dismayed to opportunity. The great majority of birds from the see a recent succession of papers produced on Walton London Clay show no clear affinity to Naze avian material that are, in his view, of low modern types being highly mosaic in character, merit. The author/authors, in each case, have and to apply anything to modern orders is at best failed to take into account the likelihood that highly speculative.

Last year, CLAUDIA BEDETTI started a PhD Shahr-i Sokhta has been presented at the 16th fellowship in the Earth Science Department of the International Conference of South Asian University ”La Sapienza” (Roma). The aim of her Archaeologists in Western Europe. research is the study of Late Pliocene to Middle Also in the last year, MARCO PAVIA finished his Pleistocene fossil avifaunas from Italy, with PhD thesis. After that he was involved in the particular attention to the sites in the area of Roma. determination and cataloging of vertebrate She will take into account unpublished fossil birds remains, especially large mammals from the early from the fossiliferous localities Pirro (Puglia), Paleolithic site ”La Pineta” at Isernia, Central Italy. Pietrafitta (Umbria), Ponte Galeria (Lazio) and Now he is going to start a postdoctoral program many others. Together with MARCO PAVIA, she is which focuses on Italian fossil birds, in particular further preparing studies on fossil birds from the insular and Pliocene taxa. Ingarano (Puglia-Late Pleistocene), Dragonara (Sardegna- Late Pleistocene) and Grotta dei Fiori CASSOLI, P.F., GALA, M., TAGLIACOZZO, A. (in (Sardegna-Late Pleistocene). press): La caccia e l’utilizzo alimentare degli MONICA GALA continues to work on the human uccelli a Grotta Romanelli durante le fasi finali exploitation of paleolithic birds. In cooperation with del Pleistocene. - Studi di Antichità, Lecce. the University of Ferrara, she is further working on CASSOLI, P.F., GALA, M., SPRÖDE, K., a taphonomic analysis of the surface of bird bones TAGLIACOZZO, A., TOSI, M. (in press): Birds at from Riparo di Fumane (Musterian and Shahr-i Sokhta. - 16° International Conference Aurignacian levels), in comparison with other of South Asian Archaeologist in Western contemporary Italian sites. A paper on birds from Europe, Paris, July 2001.

As they informed in the last newsletter, rich marine vertebrate fauna including some other HIROSHIGE MATSUOKA and YOSHIKAZU HASEGAWA avian materials. They will go on with studying this are working on a Miocene flightless swan and a exiting locality. preliminary report was published. Now the specimen is under preparation in order to remove MATSUOKA, H., NAKAJIMA, H., TAKAKUWA, Y. & all matrix for detailed osteological observations. HASEGAWA, Y. (2001): Preliminary note on the Also, the reconstruction and mounting project for Miocene flightless swan from the Haraichi the exhibition of this flightless swan is proceeding Formation, Tomioka Group of Annaka, Gunma, in the Gunma Museum of Natural History. (Y. Japan. - Bulletin of Gunma Museum of Natural HASEGAWA is the Director of this museum.) History, 3: 1-8. Haraichi Formation, the locality of swan, yields a

NEW ZEALAND

JOSEPH MCKEE continues to collect isolated and been granted a few months to do salvage fragmentary bird bones from Pliocene marine excavation work on the site, which is equivalent to sediments. Eventually, the accumulation of these one of the great moa sites of the 19th century. This bones will provide insight into the non-penguin, time we will be able to extract much taphonomic non-pseudodontorn, marine avifauna of New data and associated palaeoenvironmental data. Zealand. A very fragmentary penguin bone After two weeks work in sub-zero temperatures we indicates the presence of a small species of now know the deposit is maximally 1.7m deep and penguin during the New Zealand Pliocene. has a density of about 120 main leg bones per However, more diagnostic material will be needed meter area. to confirm this discovery. TREVOR WORTHY and RICHARD HOLDAWAY have TREVOR WORTHY had the good fortune to finish completed a book "The lost world of the moa" to be the 20th century by discovering a relatively published by Indiana University Press in January complete skeleton of the giant Haast’s eagle in a 2002, and co-published in New Zealand by cave on Takaka Hill, South Island, beneath 50 cm Canterbury University Press. This extensive book of sediment in a small excavation. Most elements treats all New Zealand’s extinct birds in detail with of the skeleton were preserved except the skull emphases on moa and Haast’s eagle, and places destroyed about 12,000 yrs BP before burial in all in an ecological perspective before discussing clay sediments. Of interest this bird had extensive the major extinction event that wiped out most of arthritis on one tarsometatarsi-tibiotarsus joint and the interesting fauna. in one humerus-ulna joint. Mid-winter (June 2001) saw the discovery of a major moa graveyard in the WORTHY, T.H. (2000): The fossil megapodes form of a springhole trap, about 5 m in diameter, (Aves: Megapodiidae) of Fiji with descriptions of with the bones of 100s of birds in it. Discovered by a new genus and two new species. - Journal of a ditch digger, RICHARD HOLDAWAY and I have

the Royal Society of New Zealand, 30 (4): 337- (Aves: Columbidae), from Quaternary deposits 364. in Fiji. - Journal of the Royal Society of New WORTHY, T.H. & HOLDAWAY, R.N. (2000): Zealand. Terrestrial Fossil vertebrate faunas from inland WORTHY, T.H. (in press): A rich, owl-accumulated, Hawke’s Bay, North Island New Zealand. Part fossil fauna from Gouland Downs, Northwest 1. - Records of the Canterbury Museum, 14: 89- Nelson, South Island. - Notornis. 154. WORTHY, T.H. (in press): Discovery of the remains HOLDAWAY, R.N., WORTHY, T.H. & TENNYSON, of a Giant Moa (Dinornis giganteus) near A.J.T. (2001): A working list of breeding bird Turangi, in central North Island. - Journal of the species of the New Zealand region at first Royal Society of New Zealand. human contact. - New Zealand journal of WORTHY, T.H. (in press): The New Zealand musk zoology, 28: 119-187. duck (Biziura delautouri Forbes 1892). - TREWICK, S.A. & WORTHY, T.H. (2001): Origins and Notornis. prehistoric ecology of takahe based on WORTHY, T.H. & HOLDAWAY, R.N. (in press, Jan. morphometric, molecular, and fossil data. - In: 2002): The Lost World of the moa: Prehistoric LEE, W.G. & JAMIESON, I.G. (eds.): The Takahe: life of New Zealand. - Indiana University Press, Fifty Years of Conservation Management and Indiana. Research: 31-48. - University of Otago Press, WORTHY, T.H. & OLSON, S.L. (in press): Dunedin. Relationships, adaptations, and habits of the WORTHY, T.H. (in press): A giant flightless pigeon extinct duck 'Euryanas’ finschi. - Notornis gen. et sp. nov. and a new species of Ducula

POLAND

ANDRZEJ ELZANOWSKI’S top research priority for CHINSAMY, A. & ELZANOWSKI, A. (2001): Evolution the near future will be the confusing cranial of growth pattern in birds. - Nature, 412: 402- anatomy of basal birds. 403. ELZANOWSKI, A. (2001): The life style of ELZANOWSKI, A. (2000): The flying dinosaurs. - In: Archaeopteryx (Aves). - Publicaciones PAUL, G.S. (ed.): The Scientific American Book Especiales de la Asociación Paleontológica of Dinosaurs: 169-182. - St. Martin’s Press, Argentina, 7: 91-99. New York. ELZANOWSKI, A. (2001): A new genus and species ELZANOWSKI, A., PAUL, G.S. & STIDHAM, T.A. for the largest specimen of Archaeopteryx. - (2000): An avian quadrate form the Late Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 46: 519-532. Cretaceous Lance Formation of Wyoming. - ELZANOWSKI, A. & SCHODDE, R. (2001): The Origin Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 20: 712- and Systematics of Birds. - Journal of 719. Morphology, 248: 227. [Abstract] ELZANOWSKI, A. (2001): A novel reconstruction of the skull of Archaeopteryx. - Netherlands Journal of Zoology, 51: 207-215.

ROMANIA

ERIKA GÁL is finishing her PhD on the History Museum of Hungary. It are remains of a Pleistocene bird fauna of Romania, which includes wing from the Middle Oligocene of Budapest. 178 species from 32 sites. Erika also takes part in Preliminary studies show that it belongs to a fossil two Hungarian projects: a paleontological one taxon of the Fregatidae. focusing on the Miocene locality Tárkány, and an archaeological project about the Neolithic site DIMITRIJEVICH, V., GÁL, E. & KESSLER, E. (2000): Ecsegfalva; both localities are in Hungary. The bird fauna from the Epigravettian site in EUGEN KESSLER is going to revise the Tertiary Trebacki krs, near Berane (NE Montenegro). - avifauna of the Carpathian Basin, based on the Geoloski anali Balkanskog poluostrva, 63 bird remains housed in the Natural History (1999): 107-118. Museum of Hungary. He is sponsored by the GÁL, E., HÍR, J., KESSLER, E., KÓKAY, J. & VENCZEL, NATO Research Fellowship. Apart from the M. (2000): Middle Miocene fossils from the expected material, Eugen found some very section of the road at the Rákóczi Chapell, interesting unstudied bones from the Miocene of Mátraszõlõs II. Locality Mátraszõlõs 2. - Folia Zaragoza (Spain) in the Museum. Unfortunately, Historico Naturalia Musei Matraensis, 24: 39- no references are known about this region, and 75. [in Hungarian, with English abstract]. any data regarding the Miocene localities of the GÁL, E. (2001): Bird fauna of Betfia 9 (Romania). - area would be much appreciated. 4th Hungarian Palaeontological Session, 4-5. The oldest bird material of Hungary was found in May, 2001, Pécsvárad (Hungary), Abstract the Department of Paleontology of the Natural volume: 14-15. [in Hungarian].

GÁL, E. (2001): About the Chinese fossil birds. - KESSLER, E. & GÁL, E. (1998): Fossil and subfossil Természet Világa, 132 (9): 397-400. [popular bird remains from Paleolithic and Neolithic sites article in Hungarian] in Cheile Turzii and Cheile Turenilor (Cluj GÁL, E., HÍR, J., KESSLER, E., KÓKAY, J. & VENCZEL, county). - Angvstia, 3: 9-12. [in Romanian, with M. (2001): Preliminary report on the revision of English abstract]. the Miocene "Güdör-kert" site of Felsotarkany KESSLER, E. & GÁL, E. (2000): The fossil avifauna (Hungary). - Folia Historico Naturalia Musei from Cioarei Cave. - In: CÄRCIUMARU, M. (ed.): Matraensis. (in press) Cioarei Cave: 68-77. Editura Macarie, Târgoviste [in Romanian].

RUSSIA

In October 2000 and May 2001, ANDREI V. PANTELEYEV, A.V. (2000): Materials on the PANTELEYEV did field trips to the Mangyshlak archaeology and archaeozoology of the Peninsula (Western Kazakhstan). He worked on Moneron Island. - 68 pp., Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the Shorym Formation (Bartonian, Middle Eocene) Sakhalin Book Press. [in Russian] which contains a rich vertebrate fauna (sharks, PANTELEYEV, A.V. & BURCHAK-ABRAMOVICH, N.I. fishes, turtles, marine crocodiles, sea - and (2000): Passerine birds from Binagady landsnakes, birds, mammals). There he found 40 Pleistocene asphalts. I. Introduction. - Russ. J. remains of birds (Presbyornithidae, Ornithol. Express-issue, 112: 3-8. [in Russian] Pelagornithidae, vertebrae of a very large bird). PANTELEYEV, A.V. & BURCHAK-ABRAMOVICH, N.I. Moreover, he found two bones of Falconiformes (2000): Passerine birds from Binagady from Lower Oligocene (Rupelian) deposits. In Pleistocene asphalts. II. Small corvids. - Russ. September and October 2001, he will go to J. Ornithol. Express-issue, 115: 3-17. [in Mangyshlak again. He further described the Russian] tibiotarsus of a new species of rail (Eocrex PANTELEYEV, A.V. (2001): The study of Quaternary tagusevae) from the Paleogene (Upper Eocene - ornithofauna of the Sakhalin Island. - In: ?Lower Oligocene) of Tadjikistan. KUROCHKIN, E.N. & RAKHILIN, I.I. (eds.): Actual problems of the study and guarding of birds of ALEKSEEVA, E.V., GORBUNOV, S.V. & PANTELEYEV, East Europe and North Asia, Kazan: 486. [in A.V. (2000): Ikonnikova Cave and its fossil Russian] fauna.- Natural History Bulletin. - Yuzhno- PANTELEYEV, A.V. (2001): New species of rails Sakhalinsk, 2: 111-114. [in Russian] (Aves: Gruiformes: Rallidae) from Paleogene of NOMURA, T., KIKUCHI, T., PROKOFIEV, M.M., Tadjikistan. - Russ. J. Ornithol. Express-issue, GORBUNOV, S.V., NAZARKIN, M.V. & 135: 199-201. [in Russian]

During the last year, LLUÍS GARCIA PETIT studied of the year, he works on a conservation project for bird remains from Reclau Viver, one of the caves in the recent giant lizard from Tenerife Island Serinyà, near Banyoles (Catalonia), which was (Gallotia intermedia). He and FRANCISCO GARCÍA- occupied during the Upper Paleolithic. He TALAVERA, the paleontological curator of the Museo presented the results of this study at the de Ciencias Naturales de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, colloquium held in Banyoles on "The fossil have apllied for a project on the extinct vertebrates vertebrates of the Pla de l’Estany". He also faunas from the Macaronesian Region. If they have attended a meeting in Lattes (France) on "Animal luck, they will be working on fossil vertebrates, movements and displacements in the mainly fossil birds, in the next year. Mediterranean bassin during the Holocene", were he presented a paper on the arrival and the BURJACHS, F., BUXÓ, R., CASELLAS, S., FÈLIX, J., expansion of domestic fowl. Unfortunately, he GARCIA, L., JUAN-MUNS, N., NEBOT, J., OLLER, couldn’t attend the ICAZ Bird Working Group J., ROS, M. & VILLATE, E. (1999): Reconstrucció meeting in Kraków present a paper on his paleoambiental. - In: MARTIN, A., BUXÓ, R., researches on bird bones during the last ten years, LÓPEZ, J. B., MATARÓ, M. (eds.): Excavacions as he announced in the last Newsletter. During the arqueològiques a l’Illa d’en Reixac (1987-1992): next year, he will study the bird remains from the 325-338. - Monografies d’Ullastret 1, Museu medieval Castell de Montsoriu (Arbúcies, d’Arqueologia de Catalunya, Girona. Catalonia), as well as some remains from some ELORZA, M. (2000): Restos de aves del yacimiento recent excavations at the city of Lleida. de Labeko Koba (Arrasate, País Vasco). - For some months (January-June) JUAN CARLOS Munibe, 52: 187-192. RANDO has been working on the organization, GARCIA, L. (1999): Les aus. - In: MARTIN, A., BUXÓ, identification and conservation of the fossil R., LÓPEZ, J.B. & MATARÓ, M. (eds.): vertebrates collection of the Museo de Ciencias Excavacions arqueològiques a l’Illa d’en Reixac Naturales de Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Until the end (1987-1992), Girona: 295-297.

GARCIA, L. (2000): Pocs ocells a La Draga. - In: Arqueología, Paleontología y Etnografía, 6: BOSCH, A., CHINCHILLA, J. & TARRÚS, J. (eds.): 247-248. El poblat lacustre neolític de La Draga. SÁNCHEZ MARCO, A. et al. (2000): Passeriformes Excavacions de 1990 a 1998: 166. - del Neógeno ibérico: hallazgos en Layna Monografies del CASC 2, Museu d’Arqueologia (Plioceno inferior). - Revista Española de de Catalunya, Girona. Paleontología, 15 (1): 101-104. GARCIA, L. (2001): Ornitofàgia i ornitologia. - SÁNCHEZ MARCO, A. (2001): Strigiformes from the Bioma, 4: 5. Neogene of Spain. - Ibis, 143: 313-316. SÁNCHEZ MARCO, A. (2000): Vestigios de una SÁNCHEZ MARCO, A. & SASTRE PÁEZ, I. (2001): lechuza fósil del Mediterráneo occidental. - Historia de la Paleornitología en España a Quercus, 168: 28-30. [popular article] través de los documentos científicos. - Revista SÁNCHEZ MARCO, A. (2000): Objeciones al caso de Española de Paleontología, 16 (1): 99-113. los fósiles gibraltareños. - Quercus, 170: 52-53. SÁNCHEZ MARCO, A. [MONTOYA, P. et al.] (2001): [popular article] Une faune très diversifiée du Pléistocène SÁNCHEZ MARCO, A. (2000): Aves fósiles de inférieur de la Sierra de Quibas (province de Madrid: - In: MORALES, J. (ed.): Patrimonio Murcia, Espagne). - C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, 332: paleontológico de la Comunidad de Madrid. - 387-393.

SWEDEN

TOMMY TYRBERG tries to keep his netsite on JOHANSSON, U.S., PARSONS, T.J., IRESTEDT, M. & Palearctic Pleistocene birds up to date and plugs ERICSON, P.G.P. (2001): Clades within the away at his Bibliography of Palaeornithology when ‘higher land birds’, evaluated by nuclear DNA he has the time. He is going to present a paper on sequences. - J. Zool. Syst. Evol. Research, 39: subfossil domesticated birds in Sweden at the 37-51. ICAZ Bird Working Group Meeting meeting in TYRBERG, T. (2000): Les oiseaux perdus Krakow in September 2001. d’Oceanie. - La Recherche, 29 (333): 24-27. TYRBERG, T. (2000): Species Turnover and HERNANDEZ-CARRASQUILLA, F., TYRBERG, T. & VON Species Longevity in the Pleistocene of the DEN DRIESCH, A. (2000): A record of Pygmy Palearctic [Abstract]. - Vertebrata PalAsiatica, Cormorant from Medieval Spain. - Ardea, 87 38 (Suppl.): 31. (2): 285-288.

UNITED STATES

California

This year, SYLVIA HOPE completed a manuscript automatic balance system of birds that makes their on the radiation of modern birds in the Mesozoic. unique form of bipedal locomotion possible. They In October 2001, together with TOM STIDHAM, she also continue their work on the arthrology and will report on the avifauna of the Late Cretaceous osteology of New World Vultures. Before and after Lance and Hell Creek formations in the Western the congress in Jena, Ken took the opportunity to Interior of North America. Other projects in study the four specimens of Archaeopteryx progress include a revision of her thesis on available in Germany. He would like to thank all of phylogeny of the Corvidae, and a phylogenetic those who made this possible, especially Stefan analysis of relationships among major lineages of Peters, Gerald Mayr, Ursula Göhlich, Günter Viohl, modern birds, based on the morphology, and Martin Roper, and Dave Unwin. Some results of including fossils of early birds to the extent that the this study tour should be forthcoming soon. Ken material permits. Much of her time has been taken reports that the description of a new lapwing from up lately with helping to organize a symposium and Rancho La Brea is in press and should be out by book on bird sounds, to be held this November, the end of the year. Additional work continues on 2001 at the California Academy of Sciences other taxa from Rancho La Brea, including new ("Natures’ Music: the Science of Bird Song"). species. Of special note is the fact that Ken has From Los Angeles, KEN CAMPBELL reports that been promised funding to support a post-doctoral he and FRITZ HERTEL have just submitted for student for one year to study the La Brea turkey. publication their paper on the function of the avian The objective would be a complete and highly antitrochanter. A summary of this paper was detailed osteological comparison with the living presented at the 6th International Congress of Meleagris gallopavo, but would also include Vertebrate Morphology in Jena, Germany in July. extensive paleoecological reconstructions. The two will continue their collaboration on the Although the funding is promised, it is not yet in functional morphology of birds, and they have hand, so the position would not be available until already initiated a new study that will describe the sometime early in 2002, at the earliest. Anyone

10 interested in the position should contact Ken Dinosaurs. - University of California Press, ([email protected]) to receive any further Berkeley. announcements about the position when they PARRIS, D. & HOPE, S. (subm.): New become available. interpretations of birds from the Hornerstown and Navesink formations, New Jersey. - In: ZHOU Z. HOPE, S. (in press): The Mesozoic record of (ed.): Proceedings of the 5th International Meeting Neornithes (modern birds). - In: CHIAPPE, L.M. & of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution, WITMER, L. (eds.): Over the Heads of the Beijing, June, 2000. - China Science Press.

Georgia

Since his last contribution, ROBERT CHANDLER Resource Division Technical Report has continued to collect fossils in the Santa Fe NPS/NRGRD/GRDTR-98/01: 1-4. River in north central Florida looking for Titanis CHANDLER, R. (1998): Fossil birds of Tunica Hills, walleri. He has taken GC&SU students with him for Louisiana, and the first record of Ruffed Grouse five years and they have made significant additions (Bonasa umbellus). - Current Research in the to the known flora and fauna of the late Blancan Pleistocene, 15: 103-104. SF1B locality, but no new Titanis specimens. The CHANDLER, R. (1999): Fossil birds of Florissant, floral lists now includes palm, oak, black walnut Colorado: with a description of a new species of fruit, and bamboo. The faunal list includes gar, cuckoo. - Geologic Resource Division Technical sturgeon, many bony fishes, snakes, lizard, 15 Report NPS/NRGRD/GRDTR-99: 49-53. species of birds, small mammals, cats, elephants, MURPHEY, P.C., TORICK, L.L., BRAY, E.S., horses, camels, sloths, and glyptodont. Last March CHANDLER, R.M. & EVANOFF, E. (2001): (Spring Break) Drs. AL MEAD and BILL WALL Taphonomy, fauna, and depositional history of (GC&SU) and he went to Trinidad to look for fossils the Omomys Quarry, an unusual accumulation and bird watch. They did find some late Pliocene from the Bridger Formation (middle Eocene) of plant, owl, sloth, and glyptodont fossils. In a little southwestern Wyoming. - In: GUNNELL, G. & over a week they saw 54 species of birds including ALEXANDER, J. (eds.): Eocene Vertebrates, Oilbirds. Unusual Occurrences and Rarely Sampled habitats. - Plenum Press. UMAN, M.A., RAKOV, V.A., RAMBO, K.J., VAUGHT, CHANDLER, R. & WALL, P. (in press): The first T.W., FERNANDEZ, M.I., CORDIER, D.J., record of bird eggs from the early Oligocene CHANDLER, R.M., BERNSTEIN, R. & GOLDEN, C. (Orellan) of North America. - Geologic (1997): Triggered-lightning experiments at Resource Division Technical Report Camp Blanding, Florida (1993-1995). - Trans. NPS/NRGRD/GRDTR-01 IEE Japan. JARVIS, P.M., CHANDLER, R.M. & VIAU, R.O. (in CHANDLER, R. (1998): Additions to the fossil birds press): Determing body weight of Terror Birds. - reported from Agate Fossil Beds National ILAPs, The Mathematical Association of Monument, western Nebraska. - Geologic America.

Michigan

Most of the current research on birds of ROBERT STORER, R.W. (2001): A New Pliocene Grebe from STORER is not paleontological or parasitological, the Lee Creek Deposits. - In: RAY, E. & although he does have a semipopular MS on the BOHASKA, D.J. (eds.): Geol. and Paleontol. of Dodo and the Solitaires in process. the Lee Creek Mine, North Carolina, C. vol. 3. - Smiths. Contrib. Paleontol., 61: 277-231. STORER, R.W. (2000): The Systematic Position of STORER, R.W. (subm.): The Metazoan Parasite the Miocene Grebe, Thiornis sociata Navas. - Fauna of Loons (Aves: Gaviiformes), and its Annal. Paléontol., 86 (2):129-139. Relationship to the Birds’ Evolutionary History STORER, R.W. (2000): The Metazoan Parasite and Biology, and a Comparison with the Fauna of Grebes (Podicipediformes) and its Parasite Fauna of Grebes. - Misc. Publ., Mus. Relationship to the Birds’ Biology. - Misc. Publ. Zool. Univ. Mich. Mus. Zool. Univ. Mich., 188: i-iv + 1-90.

New Mexico

MARY ALICE ROOT reports the following: The American Museum of Natural History has a nearly type-specimen of Diatryma is from New Mexico complete Diatryma skeleton that was found in (COPE, 1876), and is in the Smithsonian Wyoming in 1915, and from this skeleton several Institution’s National History Museum, Washington, casts have been made. The New Mexico Museum D.C. Three fragments of fossil bones from of Natural History and Science has purchased a Diatryma have been found in New Mexico. The cast of the American Museum’s Diatryma. It was

purchased with funds raised by MARY ALICE ROOT Palaeoborus umbrosus, an Old World Vulture, that from giving talks and writing articles for the lived in what is now New Mexico in the early members of our museum and the public. The cast Miocene. The type-specimen (COPE, 1876) is from went on display in the NM Museum of Natural New Mexico and is in the American Museum of History on July 2, 2001, and will be a part of the Natural History in New York. new Tertiary Hall that is planned. A future project will be to try to obtain funds for a cast of

New York

GARETH DYKE is continuing with his postdoctoral DYKE, G.J. (2001): Fossil pseudasturid birds (Aves, work at the American Museum of Natural History Pseudasturidae) from the London Clay. - Bull. (Department of Ornithology) working primarily on nat. Hist. Mus. Lond. (Geol.), 57 (1): 1-4. the relationships of palaeognaths using DYKE, G.J. (2001): A primitive swift from the morphology and incorporating data from fossil London Clay and the relationships of fossil taxa, such as the Eocene members of the apodiform birds. - Journal of Vertebrate Lithornithidae. In the summer of 2002, Gareth will Paleontology, 21: 195-200. move back to the U.K. to the University of Leeds to DYKE, G.J. (2001): Laputavis, a replacement name work on a longer-term project with JEREMY RAYNER for Laputa Dyke 2001 (preoccupied name). - (funded by the Leverhulme Trust) on the evolution Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 21: 401. of flight morphologies in birds. They plan to DYKE, G.J. & GULAS, B.E. (2001): The fossil investigate a number of phylogenetic and galliform bird Paraortygoides from the Eocene aerodynamic questions by use of a range of of the United Kingdom. - American Museum systematic and experimental methods. Novitates (in press). DYKE, G.J. (2001): The fossil waterfowl (Aves, CRACRAFT, J. (2001): Avian evolution, Gondwana Anseriformes) from the Eocene of England. - biogeography and the Cretaceous-Tertiary American Museum Novitates (in press). mass extinction event. - Proc. R. Soc. Lond. ESPINOSA DE LOS MONTEROS, A. (2000): Higher- (B), 268: 459-469. level Phylogeny of Trogoniformes. - Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 14: 20-34.

North Carolina

STEVE EMSLIE has two on-going research migratory terns on the east coast of the U.S. programs, one on climate change and the Additional analyses of these data will be completed occupation history of penguins in Antarctica, and in the coming year. the other on the foraging ecology of terns and other seabirds in North Carolina. In December EMSLIE, S.D. (2001): Radiocarbon dates from 2000 - February 2001, he conducted fieldwork at abandoned penguin colonies in the Antarctic McMurdo Station, Antarctica, with one Peninsula region. - Antarctic Science, 13: 289- undergraduate Honor’s student (MIKE POLITO) and 295. one field assistant, LARRY COATS. The field team EMSLIE, S.D. (in press): The ecology and visited numerous abandoned penguin colonies paleohistory of pygoscelid penguins in the along the Scott Coast and on Ross Island. Antarctic Peninsula. - Volume in Honor of Otto Excavations provided considerable information on Nordenskjöld’s 100th Anniversary to the the occupation history and past diet of Adélie Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctic Challenges penguins in this region, dating back nearly 5000 Symposium, Goteborg, Sweden. years. A summary of the work completed in the EMSLIE, S.D. & MCDANIEL, J.D. (in press): Adélie field can be found at: Penguin diet and climate change during the www.uncwil.edu/tc/antarctica2/antarctica.html. middle to late Holocene in northern Marguerite In summer 2001, Steve worked with two of his graduate students on Royal and Sandwich Terns Bay, Antarctic Peninsula. - Polar Biology. breeding on barrier and dredge islands near MANESS, T. & EMSLIE, S.D. (in press): An analysis Wilmington, NC. A long-term banding effort by Dr. of possible genotoxic exposure in adult and JOHN WESKE has resulted in numerous breeding juvenile Royal Terns (Sterna maxima) in North colonies comprised of known-age birds and these Carolina. - Waterbirds. have been the focus of Steve’s investigations. MCGINNIS, T. & EMSLIE, S.D. (in press): The Preliminary analysis of the age structure of these foraging ecology of Royal and Sandwich Terns colonies, with J. WESKE and M. BROWNE, suggest in North Carolina. - Waterbirds. that El Niño events may impact the survival of

Pennsylvania

LIVEZEY, B.C. & ZUSI, R.L. (2001): Higher-order cranial features in galliform and anseriform phylogenetics of modern Aves based on birds. - Annals of Carnegie Museum, 69: 157- comparative anatomy. - Netherlands Journal of 193. Zoology, 51: 179-206. ZUSI, R.L. & LIVEZEY, B.C. (2000): Homologies and phylogenetic implications of some enigmatic

Washington D.C.

FLEISCHER, R.C., OLSON, S.L., JAMES, H.F. & Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of COOPER, A.C. (2000): Identification of the Natural History, 13 (2): 1-3. extinct Hawaiian eagle (Haliaeetus) by mtDNA OLSON, S.L. (2000): [Review of] CHIAPPE, L.M., JI, sequence analysis. - Auk, 117 (4): 1051-1056. S., JI, Q. & NORELL, M.: Anatomy and HEARTY, P.J., KAUFMAN, D.S., OLSON, S.L. & systematics of the Confuciusornithidae JAMES, H.F. (2000): Stratigraphy and whole- (Theropoda: Aves) from the late Mesozoic of rock amino acid geochronology of key northeastern China. - Auk, 117 (3): 836-839. Holocene and last interglacial carbonate OLSON, S.L. & WINGATE, D.B. (2000): Two new deposits in the Hawaiian Islands. - Pacific species of flightless rails (Aves: Rallidae) from Science, 54(4): 423-442. [Includes ages of the Middle Pleistocene "crane fauna" of dune sites containing fossil birds.] Bermuda. - Proceedings of the Biological OLSON, S.L. (1999): The anseriform relationships Society of Washington, 113 (2): 356-368. of Anatalavis Olson and Parris OLSON, S.L. & RASMUSSEN, P.C. (2001): Miocene (Anseranatidae), with a new species from the and Pliocene birds from the Lee Creek Mine, Lower Eocene London Clay. - In: OLSON, S.L. North Carolina. - In: RAY, C.E. & BOHASKA, D.J. (ed.): Avian paleontology at the close of the (eds.): Geology and paleontology of the Lee 20th century. Proceedings of the 4th Creek mine, North Carolina, III. - Smithsonian International Meeting of the Society of Avian Contributions to Paleobiology, 90: 233-365. Paleontology and Evolution Washington, D.C., OLSON, S.L. & WINGATE, D.B. (2001): A new 4-7 June 1996. - Smithsonian Contributions to species of large flightless rail of the Rallus Paleobiology, 89: 231-243. longirostris/elegans complex (Aves: Rallidae) OLSON, S.L. (2000): A new genus for the from the late Pleistocene of Bermuda. - Kerguelen Petrel. - Bulletin of the British Proceedings of the Biological Society of Ornithologists’ Club, 120 (1): 59-62. Washington, 114 (2): 509-516. OLSON, S.L. (2000): Fossil Red-shouldered Hawk SORENSON, M.D., COOPER, A., PAXINOS, E.E., in the Bahamas: Calohierax quadratus QUINN, T.W., JAMES, H.F., OLSON, S.L. & Wetmore synonymized with Buteo lineatus FLEISCHER, R.C. (1999): Relationships of the Gmelin. - Proceedings of the Biological Society extinct moa-nalos, flightless Hawaiian of Washington, 113 (1): 298-301.OLSON, S.L. waterfowl, based on ancient DNA. - (2000): Countdown to Piltdown at National Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, Geographic: the rise and fall of Archaeoraptor. 266: 2187-2193. - Backbone. Newsletter of the Department of