Photo: Field Museum of Natural History, via Wikimedia Commons
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Halcyornithidae
An early parrot from Fossil Lake — among the earliest well-preserved fossil parrots in the world.
The modern parrot order includes almost 400 living species found primarily in tropical and subtropical regions. They are identifiable by strong, curved beaks necessary for feeding on nuts and large seeds.
Fossil Lake is thought to have been a hot-spot for early parrot diversity. The FBM contains the earliest well-preserved fossil parrots in the world. FBM parrots lack the modern parrots' characteristic beak, suggesting their diet was less specialized.
Species text: National Park Service, Fossil Butte National Monument — Fossil Bird Species.