Pelagornithidae

Pelagornithidae is an extinct family of seabirds whose beaks bore tooth-like projections made of bone. Many species had enormous wingspans and lived across marine environments.

Pseudoteeth: The bony, tooth-like projections lining the beaks of pelagornithids and related birds. These projections define the family’s distinctive beak but were not true teeth.
Pelagornis sandersi: An extinct pelagornithid from the Oligocene of South Carolina, known for its exceptionally long wings. Its remains underpin estimates placing it among the largest flying birds.
Dynamic soaring: A flight technique that extracts energy from wind gradients, especially above the ocean. It is one proposed way pelagornithids could travel long distances with little flapping.
Bird phylogenetics: The study of evolutionary relationships among birds using anatomical and genetic evidence. Pelagornithid placement among bird lineages remains difficult to establish from morphology alone.
Avialae: The evolutionary group containing modern birds and their extinct ancestors. Pelagornithids were members of the broader bird lineage.
Dasornis: An extinct genus of large pelagornithid birds known from Paleogene fossils in Europe. Its fossils document early members of the family in the North Atlantic region.
Wing loading: The ratio of an animal’s weight to the area of its wings. Estimated wing loading helps constrain how giant pelagornithids could take off and fly.
Fossil calibration: The use of dated fossils to constrain evolutionary timelines. Pelagornithid fossils can inform when major bird lineages and traits appeared.
Procellariiformes: An order of ocean-going birds that includes albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters. Their long-distance marine lifestyle invites comparison with these living seabirds.
Osteodontornis: An extinct genus of pelagornithid seabirds known from Pacific fossil deposits. It provides a named example of the family’s broad oceanic distribution.

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