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Did parrots exist in the Cretaceous period?

Nature volume 399, pages 317–318 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

The timing of the origin of modern birds is much debated. The traditional view, based largely on the fossil record, suggests that most modern groups did not appear until the Tertiary, after the end-Cretaceous extinction event1, but recent work, based on molecular divergence data, has suggested that most, or all, of the major clades were present in the Cretaceous2,3. Verification of the latter proposal awaits the discovery of modern bird fossils in the Mesozoic which can be confirmed on the basis of the derived features characterizing the major clades.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Queens Road, BS8 1RJ, Bristol, UK

    Gareth J. Dyke

  2. Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Sektion für Ornithologie, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt a.M., Germany

    Gerald Mayr

Authors
  1. Gareth J. Dyke
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  2. Gerald Mayr
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Dyke, G., Mayr, G. Did parrots exist in the Cretaceous period?. Nature 399, 317–318 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/20583

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