1987 in paleontology
Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils.[1] This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1987.
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Plants
Newly described angiosperms
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
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Sect and sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Oldest Acer sp in Alaska; Only species of the section Alaskana |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
extinct member of section Ginnala |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Collawash flora and several other floras |
extinct member of section Parviflora |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Beaver Creek Flora, Montana |
extinct member of section Macrantha |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Late Eocene |
John Day Formation |
extinct member of section Macrantha |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Late Eocene - early Oligocene |
Meshik Volcanics |
extinct member of section Macrantha |
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sect and sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
West Foreland Formation |
Only species of the section Douglasa |
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Sp. nov. |
valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Middle-Late Eocene |
"Bull Run" Flora |
extinct species of Acer sect. Negundo |
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sp nov |
valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Late Miocene |
Lolo pass flora, Oregon |
Member of Acer Section Rubra |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
one of two species in the extinct section Stewarta |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Latest Eocene - Early Oligocene |
Meshik Volcanics |
extinct member of section Glabra |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Oligocene |
Tsadaka Formation & Tyonek Formation |
extinct member of section Rubra |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
extinct member of Acer section Macrantha |
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Sp. nov. |
valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Late Eocene |
Beaver Creek Flora |
A possible member of Acer sect. Cissifolia |
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Sect and sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Ypresian |
type and only species in the extinct section Republica |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Allenby formation & McAbee Site |
only species in the extinct section Rousea |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Clarkia and other formations |
extinct member of section Parviflora |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Allenby formation |
one of two species in the extinct section Stewarta |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Allenby and Klondike Mountain Formations |
one of three species in the extinct section Torada |
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sp nov |
valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Middle Miocene |
Member of Acer Section Rubra |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Bull Run Flora, Nevada |
extinct member of section Rubra |
||||
sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Allenby and Klondike Mountain Formations |
one of three species in the extinct section Torada |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
Trout Creek flora and others |
extinct member of section Glabra |
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Sect and sp nov |
Valid |
Wolfe & Tanai |
type species in the extinct section Torada |
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Comb nov |
Valid |
(Ashlee) Wolfe & Tanai |
member of Acer section Rubra |
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Barghoornia[3] |
gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Tom Thumb Tuff, Klondike Mountain Formation |
Monotypic with the species Barghoornia oblongifolia |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Tom Thumb Tuff, Klondike Mountain Formation |
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Bohlenia[3] |
gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Tom Thumb Tuff, Klondike Mountain Formation |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Manchester |
Badger Pocket-Squaw Creek, Wanapum Basalts |
described from one of the oldest rodent nut caches known |
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gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Tom Thumb Tuff, Klondike Mountain Formation |
Monotypic with the species Langeria magnifica |
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gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Tom Thumb Tuff, Klondike Mountain Formation |
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Photinia pageae[3] |
sp nov |
Valid |
Tom Thumb Tuff, Klondike Mountain Formation |
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Republica[3] |
gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Tom Thumb Tuff, Klondike Mountain Formation |
An incertae sedis angiosperm |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Tom Thumb Tuff, Klondike Mountain Formation |
A sumac relative |
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Schoepfia republicensis[3] |
Comb nov |
Valid |
Tom Thumb Tuff, Klondike Mountain Formation |
A Schoepfia relative, |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Tom Thumb Tuff, Klondike Mountain Formation |
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gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Tom Thumb Tuff, Klondike Mountain Formation |
Monotypic with the species Tsukada davidiifolia |
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Molluscs
Newly described bivalves
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
sp nov |
valid |
Berg-Madsen |
second Tuarangia species named |
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Arthropods
Newly described arachnids
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Shear et al. |
one of the oldest spiders |
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Newly described crustaceans
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sp nov |
Valid |
Quayle |
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Newly described insects
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Dlussky |
Taimyr amber |
A sphecomyrmine ant. |
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Sapho armissani |
Sp nov. |
Valid |
Nel |
Narbonne Basin |
A Calopterygid damselfly. |
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Vertebrates
- Stokes suggested that sauropods recycled their gastroliths and chose them based on brightness of color.[9]
Newly described dinosaurs
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
gen et sp nov |
Valid taxon |
Powell |
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Gen et sp nov |
Valid taxon |
Sanz, Buscalioni, Casanovas-Cladellas, & Santafé |
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gen et sp nov |
Valid taxon |
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gen et sp nov |
determined to be a junior synonym of Nanotyrannus |
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nomen nudum |
China |
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gen et sp nov |
Valid taxon |
Tumanova |
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Pseudolagosuchus[15] |
Gen et sp nov |
Valid taxon |
Arcucci |
Ladinian (Middle Triassic) |
possibly a jr synonym of Lewisuchus |
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Ugrosaurus[16] |
gen et sp nov |
Cobabe & David Fastovsky |
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"Unicerosaurus" |
Baugh vide: Armstrong |
Possibly a Fish neural spine, never formally described |
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gen et sp nov |
name preoccupied |
Name preoccupied by a bryozoan. Renamed Alwalkeria in 1994. |
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Newly named birds
Name | Status | Novelty | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
jr synonym |
Gen et sp. nov. |
Peters |
An Ameghinornithidae, jr synonym of Strigogyps sapea.[19] it is the type species of the genus Aenigmavis Peters, 1987. |
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Aythya chauvirae [20] |
Valid |
Sp nov. |
Cheneval |
An Anatidae. |
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Calcardea junnei [21] |
Valid |
Gen et sp nov. |
Wilwood Formation |
Monotypic with C. junnei. Originally classified as a member of Ardeidae; this interpretation was rejected by Mayr, Gingerich & Smith (2019), who considered this bird to be a member of Telluraves, and claimed that it resembled parrot-like taxon Vastanavis.[22] |
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Valid |
Sp nov. |
Alcover & Florit |
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Dromaius gidju [24] |
jr synonym |
Sp nov. |
Patterson & Vickers Rich |
Wipajiri Formation |
A Dromaiidae, jr synonym of Emuarius gidju.[25] |
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Ducula david [26] |
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Balouet & Olson |
A Columbidae. |
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Eoglaucidium pallas [27] |
Valid |
Gen et sp nov. |
Fischer |
A Sandcoleid, monotypic with E. pallas. |
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Janipes nymphaeobates [28] |
Valid |
Gen et sp nov. |
A Jacanidae, monotypic with J. nymphaeobates |
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Juncitarsus merkeli [29] |
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Dieter S. Peters |
A Juncitarsid |
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Necrobyas medius [30] |
jr synonym |
Sp. nov. |
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Nupharanassa [28] |
Valid |
Gen et sp. nov. |
A Jacanidae, |
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Otis khosatzkii [32] |
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Bocheński & Kurochkin |
An Otidid |
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Otis paratetrax [32] |
Valid |
Sp nov. |
Bocheński & Kurochkin |
An Otididae. |
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Palaeoalectoris [33] |
Valid |
Gen et sp nov. |
Hou |
Xiacaowan Formation |
A Threskiornithid, monotypic with P. songlinensis. |
|||
Palaeobyas [30] |
Valid |
Gen et sp nov. |
A Sophiornithid, monotypic with P. cracrafti. |
|||||
Valid |
Gen et sp nov. |
A Palaeoglaucid, monotypic with P. perrierensis. |
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Palaeotyto cadurcensis [30] |
Valid |
Gen et sp nov. |
A Sophiornithid,[34] monotypic with P. cadurcensis. |
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Petralca austriaca [35] |
Valid |
Gen et sp nov. |
Mlíkovský |
Monotypic with P. austriaca. Originally though to be an auk; Göhlich & Mayr (2018) reinterpreted it as a member of Gaviiformes.[36] |
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Platalea tiangangensis [33] |
Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Hou |
Xiacaowan Formation |
A Phasianid. |
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Prefica [37] |
Valid |
Gen et sp nov. |
A Steatornithidae, Preficinae, monotypic with P. nivea |
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Sophiornis[30] |
Valid |
Gen et sp nov. |
A Sophiornithid, monotypic with S. quercynus |
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Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Steadman & Zarriello |
Holocene |
A Psittacidae, Loriinae. |
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Valid |
Sp. nov. |
Steadman & Zarriello |
A Psittacidae, Loriinae. |
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Valid |
Gen et sp nov. |
Olson & Parris, |
A Tytthostonychid, monotypic with T. glauconiticus |
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Xenerodiopus [28] |
Valid |
Gen et sp nov. |
A Xenerodiopid, monotypic with X. mycter |
Pterosaurs
New taxa
|
References
- Gini-Newman, Garfield; Graham, Elizabeth (2001). Echoes from the past: world history to the 16th century. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. ISBN 9780070887398. OCLC 46769716.
- Wolfe, J.A.; Tanai, T. (1987). "Systematics, Phylogeny, and Distribution of Acer (maples) in the Cenozoic of Western North America". Journal of the Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University. Series 4, Geology and Mineralogy. 22 (1): 1–246.
- Wolfe, J.A.; Wehr, W.C. (1987). "Middle Eocene Dicotyledonous Plants from Republic, Northeastern Washington". United States Geological Survey Bulletin. 1597: 1–25.
- Manchester, S. R. (1987). "The fossil history of the Juglandaceae". Monographs in Systematic Botany. 21: 1–137. ISSN 0161-1542.
- Elicki, O.; Gürsu, S. (2009). "First record of Pojetaia runnegari Jell, 1980 and Fordilla Barrande, 1881 from the Middle East (Taurus Mountains, Turkey) and critical review of Cambrian bivalves" (PDF). Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 83 (2): 267–291. doi:10.1007/s12542-009-0021-9.
- P. A. Selden, W. A. Shear & M. D. Sutton (2008). "Fossil evidence for the origin of spider spinnerets, and a proposed arachnid order" (PDF proofs). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105 (52): 20781–20785. doi:10.1073/pnas.0809174106. PMC 2634869. PMID 19104044.
- W. J Quayle (1987). "English Eocene Crustacea (lobsters and stomatopod)" (PDF). Palaeontology. 30 (3): 581–612. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-09.
- Perrichot, V. (2015). "A new species of Baikuris (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Sphecomyrminae) in mid-Cretaceous amber from France" (PDF). Cretaceous Research. 52 (part B): 585–590. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2014.03.005.
- Sanders, F.; Manley, K.; & Carpenter, K. 2001. Gastroliths from the Lower Cretaceous sauropod *Cedarosaurus weiskopfae*. pp. 166-180. In: Tanke, Darren; Carpenter, Ken, eds. (2001). Mesozoic Vertebrate Life: New Research Inspired by the Paleontology of Philip J. Currie. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-33907-2.
- Powell, J.E. 1987. The Late Cretaceous Fauna of Los Alamitos, Patagonia, Argentina. Part VI - the Titanosaurids: Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales <<Bernardion Rivadavia>>, Instituto National de Investigacion de las Ciencias Naturales, Paleontologia, tomo III, n. 3, pp. 147-153.
- Sanz, J.L., A.D. Buscalioni, M.L. Casanovas, and J.V. Santafé. 1987. Dinosaurios del Creticico inferior de Galve (Teruel Espania). Estud. Geol. Vol. Extraord. Galve-Tremp.: pp.45-64.
- Osmolska H (1987). "Borogovia gracilicrus gen. et sp. n., a new troodontid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 32 (1–2): 133–150.
- Bakker, Williams & Currie, 1987 (Weishampel et al. 1990 cite Bakker, R.T., M. Williams, and P. Currie. 1988. Nanotyrannus, a new genus of pygmy tyrannosaur, from the latest Cretaceous of Montana. Hunteria 1: pp. 1-30.) vide Currie, P.J. 1987. Theropods of the Judith River Formation of Dinosaur Frovincial Park, Alberta. in: Currie, P.J. E.H. Koster (eds.), 4th Symp. Mesozoic Terr. Ecosyst. Short Paper, Tyrrell Mus. Palaeontol., Drumheller, Alberta [Clevelanotyrannus citation in bibliography]: pp. 52-60.
- Tumanova, T.A. 1987. The armored dinosaurs of Mongolia. Joint Soviet-Mongolian Paleontol. Expedition Trans. 32: pp. 1-80.
- Arcucci, A. 1987. Un nuevo Lagosuchidae (Thecodontia-Pseudosuchia) de la fauna de Los Chanares (Edad Reptile Chanarense, Triasic Medio), La Rioja, Argentina. Ameghiniana 24 (1- 2): pp. 89-94.
- Cobabe E.A., Fastovsky D.E. (1987). "Urgosaurus olsoni, a new ceratopsian (Reptilia: Ornithischia) from the Hell Creek Formation of Eastern Montana". Journal of Paleontology. 61 (1): 148–154. doi:10.1017/s0022336000028298.
- Chatterjee, S. 1987. A new theropod dinosaur from India with remarks on the Gondwana-Laurasia connection in the Late Triassic. In: Gondwana Six: Stratigraphy Sedimentology and Paleontology (G.D. McKenzie, Ed.). Geophysical Monogr. No. 41: pp. 183-189.
- Dieter S. Peters (1987). "Ein "Phorusrhacide" aus dem Mittel-Eozän von Messel (Aves, Gruiformes: Cariamae)". Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie, Lyon. 99: 71–87.
- Gerald Mayr (2005). ""Old World phorusrhacids" (Aves, Phorusrhacidae): a new look at Strigogyps ("Aenigmavis") sapea (Peters 1987)". PaleoBios. 25 (1): 11–16.
- Jacques Cheneval (1987). "Les Anatidae (Aves: Anseriformes) du Miocène de France: Révision Systématique et Évolution". Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie, Lyon. 99: 137–157.
- Philip D. Gingerich (1987). "Early Eocene Bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera) and Other Vertebrates in Freshwater Limestones of the Willwood Formation, Clark's Fork Basin, Wyoming" (PDF). Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan. 27 (11): 275–320.
- Gerald Mayr; Philip D. Gingerich; Thierry Smith (2019). "Calcardea junnei Gingerich, 1987 from the late Paleocene of North America is not a heron, but resembles the early Eocene Indian taxon Vastanavis Mayr et al., 2007". Journal of Paleontology. 93 (2): 359–367. doi:10.1017/jpa.2018.85.
- Josep A. Alcover & F. Florit (1987). "Una Nueva Especie de Carduelis (Fringillidae) de La Palma". Vieraea. 17: 75–86.
- Patterson, C.; Vickers Rich, P. (1987). "The Fossil History of the Emus, Dromaius (Aves: Dromaiinae)" (PDF). Records of the South Australian Museum. 36 (4): 83–117. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-27. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
- Walter E. Boles (1992). "Revision of Dromaius gidju Patterson and Rich 1987 from Riverleigh, Northwestern Queensland, Australia, With a Reassessment of Its Generic Position" (PDF). In Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring Pierce Brodkorb. Ed: Jonathan J. Becker, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Science Series. 36: 195–208.
- Jean Ch. Balouet & Storrs L. Olson (1987). "A New Extinct Species of Giant Pigeon (Columbidae: Ducula) from Archaeological Deposits on Wallis (Uvea) Island, South Pacific" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 100 (4): 769–775.
- Karlheinz Fischer (1987). "Eulenreste (Eoglaucidium pallas) N. Gen., N. Sp. (Strigiformes, Aves) aus de Mitteleozänen Braunkohle des Geiseltals bei Halle (DDR)" (PDF). Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum Berlin 63, Supplement: Annalen für Ornithologie. 11: 137–142.
- D. Tab Rasmussen, Storrs L. Olson & Elwyn L. Simons (1987). "Fossil Birds from the Oligocene Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum Province, Egypt" (PDF). Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 62 (62): 1–20. doi:10.5479/si.00810266.62.1.
- Dieter S. Peters (1987). "Juncitarsus merkeli, n. sp. Stützt die Ableitung der Flamingos von Regenpfeifervögeln (Aves: Charadriiformes: Phoenicopteridae)". Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg. 97: 141–155.
- Cécile Mourer-Chauviré (1987). "Les Strigiformes (Aves) des Phosphorites du Quercy (France): Systématique, Biostratigraphie et Paléobiogéographie" (PDF). Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie, Lyon. 99: 89–135.
- Jiří Mlíkovský (1998). "A New Barn Owl (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of Germany, with Comments on the Fossil History of the Tytoninae" (PDF). Journal für Ornithologie. 139 (3): 247–261. doi:10.1007/bf01653335. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
- Zygmunt Bocheński & Evgeny N. Kurochkin (1987). "Pliocene Bustards (Aves: Otididae and Gryzajidae) of Moldavia and S. Ukraine". Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie, Lyon. 99: 173–187.
- Hou Lianhai (1987). "The Aragonian Vertebrate Fauna of Xiacaowan, Jiang - 6. Aves" (PDF). Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 25 (1): 57–68.
- Jiří Mlíkovský (2002). "Cenozoic Birds of the World Part 1 Europe" (PDF). Cenozoic Birds of the World. 1: 1–417. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
- Jiří Mlíkovský (1987). "Eine Neue Alkenart (Aves: Alcidae) aus dem Ober-Oligozän Österreichs" (PDF). Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. Ser. A. 88: 131–147. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
- Ursula B. Göhlich; Gerald Mayr (2018). "The alleged early Miocene Auk Petralca austriaca is a Loon (Aves, Gaviiformes): restudy of a controversial fossil bird". Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. 30 (8): 1076–1083. doi:10.1080/08912963.2017.1333610.
- Storrs L. Olson (1987). "An Early Oilbird from the Green River Formation of Wyoming (Caprimulgiformes: Steatornithidae)" (PDF). Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie, Lyon. 99: 57–69.
- David W. Steadman & Marie C. Zarriello (1987). "Two New Species of Parrots (Aves: Psittacidae) From Archeological Sites in the Marquesas Islands" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 100 (3): 518–528. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
- Storrs L. Olson & David C. Parris (1987). "The Cretaceous Birds of New Jersey" (PDF). Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 63 (63): 1–22. doi:10.5479/si.00810266.63.1.