| Fissuravis Temporal range: Paleocene |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Subclass: | Carinatae |
| Infraclass: | Neornithes |
| Superorder: | Paleognathae |
| Order: | †Lithornithiformes |
| Family: | Lithornithidae |
| Genus: |
Fissuravis (Gerald Mayr, 2007) |
| Species | |
|
†Fissuravis weigelti |
|
†Fissuravis weigelti
Fissuravis ("fissure bird") is a genus of extinct bird from the Paleocene of Germany. A lithornithid, it was closely related to modern ratites, but it was a capable flyer.
Hailing from the Walbeck Paleocene deposits, it is found amidst a rich avian fauna, which also included the gigantic Gastornis and the enigmatic ratite Remiornis.
Like most lithornithids, it was probably a very competent flyer, its coracoid remnants suggesting powerful flight musculature, and it likely engaged in a similar style of soaring flight to Lithornis and Pseudocrypturus.