Phoeniconotius

Name: Phoeniconotius.
Phonetic: Fee-ne-kon-o-tus.
Named By: Aiden H.‭ ‬Miller‭ ‬-‭ ‬1963.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Aves,‭ ‬Phoenicopteriformes,‭ ‬Phoenicopteridae.
Species: P.‭ ‬eyrensis‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Filter feeder.
Size: Up to‭ ‬1.5‭ ‬meters tall.
Known locations: Australia.
Time period: Oligocene through to the early Miocene.
Fossil representation: Partial remains of individuals.




       Phoeniconotius‭ ‬seems to have been a large flamingo that once lived along the shorelines of saline lakes and lagoons.‭ ‬Some parts of Phoeniconotius such as the skull and legs are not fully known,‭ ‬but the parts which have been studied‭ ‬have indicated a similarity to the genus Megapaloelodus,‭ ‬revealing that Phoeniconotius was at least comparable in size to the average for this genus.‭ ‬Unfortunately because the head of Phoeniconotius is unknown,‭ ‬we do not know for certain if Phoeniconotius filtered out smaller aquatic organisms,‭ ‬or if members of the genus focused more upon catching slightly larger organisms such as fish.‭ ‬Phoeniconotius seems to have gone extinct long before the first people arrived in Australia,‭ ‬perhaps being driven to extinction by the inland habitats of Australia becoming more arid,‭ ‬resulting in large bodies of water drying up and disappearing.

Further reading
-‭ ‬The fossil flamingoes of Australia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬The Condor‭ ‬65‭(‬4‭)‬,‭ ‬pp289-299.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Aiden H.‭ ‬Miller‭ ‬-‭ ‬1963.



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