A NEW PELECANIFORM BIRD FROM THE GREEN RIVER FORMATION (EOCENE) OF WYOMING

A new pelicaniform bird (Aves, Pelicaniformes) from the Green River Formation (Eocene) of Wyoming sheds new light on the internal phylogenetic relationships of this avian order. The specimen closely resembles the extant members of Fregata and the extinct Limnofregata, and consists of a fairly complete cranium, vertebral column, pelvic region, and hind limbs. Although the pectoral girdle is missing from the specimen, the excellent preservation exhibited by this fossil provides additional characters that enable a more extensive cladistic analysis of pelicaniform relationships.