Gastornis
| Gastornis Temporal range: Paleocene - mid Eocene, | |
|---|---|
| Mounted skeleton of G. gigantea | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | incertae sedis |
| Order: | †Gastornithiformes |
| Family: | †Gastornithidae Fürbringer, 1888 |
| Genus: | †Gastornis Hébert, 1855 (vide Prévost, 1855) |
| Type species | |
| †Gastornis parisiensis Hébert, 1855 | |
| Other species | |
| Synonyms | |
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Gastornis is an extinct genus of large flightless birds that lived during the mid-Paleocene to mid-Eocene epochs of the Paleogene period. Fossils have been found in Europe, Asia and North America, with the remains from North America originally assigned to the genus Diatryma.
Gastornis species were very large birds, and have traditionally been considered to be predators of small mammals. However, several lines of evidence, including the lack of hooked claws in known Gastornis footprints and studies of their beak structure and isotopic signatures of their bones have caused scientists to reinterpret these birds as herbivores that probably fed on tough plant material and seeds. Gastornis is generally agreed to be related to Galloanserae, the group containing waterfowl and gamebirds.