The research focus of the ornithological subdepartment lies on the higher-level phylogeny and early evolution of birds.
The collections are among the largest in Europe and are continuously expanded. The photo shows the skull of a bony-toothed bird from the Miocene of Chile, which was described by Mayr & Rubilar (2010).
The research focus of the section is on the early evolution and higher-level phylogeny of birds.
In the past years, more than 130 new species of fossil birds were described from Paleogene (65-25 million years ago) deposits. Among these are numerous avian groups new to science, whose description extended the known diversity of the Paleogene avifauna. Many of these fossils further contributed to a better understanding of the evolution and historical biogeography of extant groups of birds.
List of newly described bird species (as at January 2023):
Messel:
Other localities:
In order to assess the phylogenetic affinities of these birds, the higher level phylogeny of extant birds also constitutes a research focus. New and meanwhile widely accepted phylogenetic hypotheses concern the affinities of, for example, owlet-nightjars (Aegothelidae) (Mayr 2002) and flamingos (Phoenicopteriformes) (Mayr 2004).
The head of the section is Associate Editor of the journal The Auk.
The ornithological collections include about 90000 bird skins, 994 mounted specimens in the exhibition, about 19000 skeletons, 4000 spirit specimens, and 5050 egg clutches. About 75% of the known bird species are represented. The geographic focus is on Central Europe, Northern Africa, and South America. Concerning the number of specimens, it is the second largest ornithological collection in Germany.
The major part of the collection is not directly accessible for the public, but is used by scientists from all over the world, especially those studying the present and past geographic distribution of avian species. The hummingbird collection is of outstanding size and taxonomic completeness. The collection of bird skeletons is among the largest and most complete in Europe.
Whereas most birds have been killed for collection purposes in earlier centuries, the new entries into our collection stem almost exclusively from accidental finds of dead individuals, from bird parks and zoological gardens, as well as from exchange with other institutes.
The earliest specimen is a pathological goose skull from 1664.
The ornithological collection itself dates back into the early 19th century. The earliest skins stem from the collection of Bernhard Meyer and came to the Senckenberg museum in 1819. Since 1823 numerous North African bird species reached Frankfurt through the journeys of Eduard Rüppell. Already in the 19th century, many of these were exchanged with other museums.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the bird collection significantly increased through the acquisition of two private collections: in 1916 the collection of count Hans von Berlepsch was bought, which included more than 55000 bird skins – one of the largest bird collections ever assembled by a private collector. In 1918, after the early death of Carlo Freiherr von Erlanger, 12589 birds skins from his collection were donated to the Senckenberg museum.
Additional important acquisitions in the 20th century were birds collected by Heinrich Bregulla (mainly in the tropical Pacific) and Francisco Behn (Chile).
(3) Mayr, G. 2022. Paleogene Fossil Birds, 2nd edition. Springer, Cham, Switzerland, 239 pp., ISBN: 978-3-030-87644-9, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-87645-6
(2) Mayr, G. 2017. Avian Evolution: The Fossil Record of Birds and its Paleobiological Significance. Wiley-Blackwell, 293 pp.
http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-111902076X.html
(1) Mayr, G. 2009. Paleogene Fossil Birds. Springer, Heidelberg, 262 pp., 64 illus., ISBN: 978-3-540-89627-2,
(a list of new bird species can be found here)
2025
(367) Mayr, G.: A derived morphology of the quadrate may support a previously unrecognized major higher-level clade of neoavian birds. Journal of Morphology, 286: e70070
(366) Mayr, G. and Goedert, J.L.: An unusual new species and additional fossils of the penguin-like Plotopteridae from the Paleogene Makah Formation of Washington State, USA. Historical Biology, doi: 10.1080/08912963.2025.2530147.
(365) Stervander, M., Chen, G., Feng, S., & Mayr, G.: Nesotrochidae, fam. nov. ‒ a new name for the New World cave rails Nesotrochis spp., sister taxon of the New Zealand adzebills (Aptornithidae). Avian Research, 2(8): 85–98.
(364) Mayr, G. and Smith, K.: A remarkable beak morphology in a bird skull from the Eocene of Messel (Germany) signifies unusual feeding specializations. Royal Society Open Science, 12: 250620.
(363) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: Two new species of larger gruiform and charadriiform birds from the London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK). Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments; doi: 10.1007/s12549-025-00653-6.
(362) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: Leg bones of the anseriform taxon Nettapterornis from the London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze and notes on the bony-toothed birds from this locality. Paläontologische Zeitschrift; doi: 10.1007/s12542-025-00730-3.
(361) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: Messelornithids and messelornithid-like birds from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK). Geobios, 90: 87-101; doi: 10.1016/j.geobios.2023.12.011.
(360) Mayr, G., Richter, A., and Racicot, R.A.: The true identity of the strigiform species Ninox dubiosa Weick, 2006, with comments on a skull feature shared by the Ieraglaucinae and Surniinae. Journal of Ornithology, 166: 609-613.
(359) Mayr, G., Goedert, J., and Richter, A.: Nearly complete late Eocene skull from the North Pacific elucidates the cranial morphology and affinities of the penguin-like Plotopteridae. The Science of Nature, 112: 27; doi: 10.1007/s00114-025-01977-1.
(358) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: The Lithornithiformes (Aves) from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK). Papers in Paleontology, 11(1): e1611; 27 pp.
2024
(357) Smith, K. T., Collinson, M., Folie, A., Habersetzer, J., Hennicke, F., Kothe, E., Lehmann, T., Lenz, O. K., Mayr, G., Micklich, N., Rabenstein, R., Racicot, R., Schaal, S. F. K., Smith, T., Tosal, A., Uhl, D., Wappler, T., Wedmann, S., and Wuttke, M. The biodiversity of the Eocene Messel Pit. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 104: 859-940; doi: 10.1007/s12549-024-00633-2.
(356) Mayr, G., Mourer-Chauviré, C., Bourdon, E. & Stache, M.: Resurrecting the taxon Diatryma: A review of the giant flightless Eocene Gastornithiformes (Aves), with a report of the first skull of Diatryma geiselensis. Palaeontologia Electronica, 27(3): a57; doi: 10.26879/1438.
(355) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: A new mousebird (Aves, Coliiformes) from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK) constitutes a morphological link between sandcoleids and coliids. Geodiversitas, 46 (20): 979–992.
(354) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: A new species of the Prophaethontidae (Aves, Phaethontiformes) from the early Eocene London Clay. Historical Biology; doi: 10.1080/08912963.2024.2418895.
(353) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: A large frigatebird-like tarsometatarsus from the London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze may shed light on the affinities of a poorly known early Eocene seabird taxon. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 69 (3): 523–528.
(352) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: Two distinctive, but difficult-to-classify, avian species and a new trogon (Trogoniformes) from the early Eocene London Clay. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen, 312 (3): 309–323.
(351) Bertelli, S., Giannini, N. P., García–López, D. A., Deraco, V., Babot, J., Del Papa, C., Armella, M. A., Herrera, C. & Mayr, G.: The first Eocene bird from Northwestern Argentina. Publicación Electrónica de la Asociación Paleontológica Argentina, 24(2): 78–89.
(350) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: The non-apodiform Strisores (potoos, nightjars and allied birds) from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments; doi: 10.1007/s12549-024-00610-9
(349) Peacock, J., Spellman, G.M., Field, D.J., Mason, M.J. & Mayr, G.: Comparative morphology of the avian bony columella. Anatomical Record, 307: 1735–1763; doi: 10.1002/ar.25278
(348) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: The Picocoraciades (hoopoes, rollers, woodpeckers, and allies) from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze. Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 98: 291–312; doi: 10.1007/s12542-024-00687-9.
(347) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: The Halcyornithidae from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK): a species complex of Paleogene arboreal birds. Geobios, 83: 45–60; doi: 10.1016/j.geobios.2023.06.003
(346) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: New fossils of Eocypselus and Primapus from the British London Clay reveal a high taxonomic and ecological diversity of early Eocene swift-like apodiform birds. Ibis, 166: 1199–1217.
(345) Mayr, G., Göhlich, U.B., Roček, Z., Lemierre, A., Winkler, V., and Georgalis, G.L.: Reinterpretation of tuberculate cervical vertebrae of Eocene birds as an exceptional anti-predator adaptation against the mammalian craniocervical killing bite. Journal of Anatomy, 244: 402–410.
2023
(344) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: The galliform birds from the Lower Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, U.K.): New species suggest faunal connections to Asia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 43(6): e2374305; doi: 10.1080/02724634.2024.2374305
(343) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: Early Eocene fossils elucidate the evolutionary history of the Charadriiformes (shorebirds and allies). Journal of Paleontology, 97(4): 941–955.
(342) Mayr, G., De Pietri, V.L., Love, L., Mannering, A., Crouch, E., Read, C. & Scofield, R. P.: Partial skeleton from the Paleocene of New Zealand illuminates the early evolutionary history of the Phaethontiformes (tropicbirds). Alcheringa, 47(3): 315–326.
(341) Mayr, G., Carrió, V., & Kitchener, A.C.: On the “screamer-like” birds from the British London Clay: An archaic anseriform-galliform mosaic and a non-galloanserine “barb-necked” species of Perplexicervix. Palaeontologia Electronica, 26(2):a3328; doi: 10.26879/1301.
(340) Mayr, G., De Pietri, V.L., & Kitchener, A.C.: Narrow-beaked trogons from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK). Journal of Ornithology, 164: 749–764.
(339) Mayr, G., Lechner, T. & Böhme, M.: Nearly complete leg of an unusual, shelduck-sized anseriform bird from the earliest late Miocene hominid locality Hammerschmiede (Germany). Historical Biology, 35(4): 465–474
(338) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: The Vastanavidae and Messelasturidae (Aves) from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK). Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen, 307/2: 113–139.
(337) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: A new fossil from the London Clay documents the convergent origin of a “mousebird-like” tarsometatarsus in an early Eocene near-passerine bird. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 68 (1): 1–11.
(336) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: Multiple skeletons of Rhynchaeites from the London Clay reveal the osteology of early Eocene ibises (Aves, Threskiornithidae). Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 97: 425–442.
(335) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: Early Eocene fossil illuminates the ancestral (diurnal) ecomorphology of owls and documents a mosaic evolution in the strigiform stem lineage. The Ibis, 165: 231–247.
(334) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: New species from the early Eocene London Clay suggest an undetected early Eocene diversity of the Leptosomiformes, an avian clade that includes a living fossil from Madagascar. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 103: 585–608.
(333) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: Psittacopedids and zygodactylids: The diverse and species-rich psittacopasserine birds from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK). Historical Biology, 35: 2372–2395.
2022
(332) Massonne, T., Böhme, M., & Mayr, G.: A tarsometatarsus from the upper Eocene locality Na Duong in Vietnam – the first Palaeogene fossil bird from Vietnam. Alcheringa, 46 (3/4): 291-296; doi: 10.1080/03115518.2022.2126010
(331) Selvatti, A.P., Galvão, A., Mayr, G., Miyaki, C.Y., & de Moraes Russo, C.A.: Southern hemisphere tectonics in the Cenozoic shaped the pantropical distribution of parrots and passerines. Journal of Biogeography, 49(10): 1753-1766.
(330) Bell, P., Hendrickx, C., Pittman, M., Kaye, T., & Mayr, G.: The exquisitely preserved integument of Psittacosaurus and the scaly skin of ceratopsian dinosaurs. Communications Biology, 5: 809; doi: 10.1038/s42003-022-03749-3.
(329) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: Oldest fossil loon documents a pronounced ecomorphological shift in the evolution of gaviiform birds. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 196 (4): 1431–1450.
(328) Mayr, G. & Kitchener, A.C.: New fossils from the London Clay show that the Eocene Masillaraptoridae are stem group representatives of falcons (Aves, Falconiformes). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 41: e2083515.
(327) Sangster, G., Braun, E.L., Johansson, U.S., Kimball, R.T., Mayr, G., Suh, A.: Phylogenetic definitions for 25 higher-level clade names of birds. Avian Research, 13: 100027.
(326) De Pietri, V.L., Mayr, G., Costeur, L., Scofield, R.P. New records of buttonquails (Aves, Charadriiformes, Turnicidae) from the Oligocene and Miocene of Europe. Comptes Rendus Palevol, 21 (11): 235-244.
(325) Mayr, G., De Pietri, V.L. & Scofield, R.P.: New bird remains from the early Eocene Nanjemoy Formation of Virginia (USA), including the first records of the Messelasturidae, Psittacopedidae, and Zygodactylidae from the Fisher/Sullivan site. Historical Biology, 34 (2): 322-334.
(324) A survey of the uncinate bone and other poorly known ossicles associated with the lacrimal/ectethmoid complex of the avian skull. The Anatomical Record, 305: 2312–2330.
(323) Mayr, G., Goedert, J.L., & Rabenstein, R.: Cranium of an Eocene/Oligocene pheasant-sized galliform bird from western North America, with the description of a vascular autapomorphy of the Galliformes. Journal of Ornithology, 163: 315–326.
(322) Mayr, G. & Goedert, J.L.: New late Eocene and Oligocene plotopterid fossils from Washington State (USA), with a revision of “Tonsala” buchanani (Aves, Plotopteridae). Journal of Paleontology, 96 (1): 224-236.
(321) A partial skeleton of Septencoracias from the early Eocene London Clay reveals derived features of bee-eaters (Meropidae) in a putative stem group roller (Aves, Coracii). Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 102: 449-463.
2021
(320) On the occurrence of lateral openings and fossae (pleurocoels) in the thoracic vertebrae of neornithine birds and their functional significance. Vertebrate Zoology, 71: 453-463.
(319) Mayr, G. & Zelenkov, N.: Extinct crane-like birds (Eogruidae and Ergilornithidae) from the Cenozoic of Central Asia are indeed ostrich precursors. Ornithology, 138 (4): ukab048; doi: 10.1093/ornithology/ukab048.
(318) An early Eocene fossil from the British London Clay elucidates the evolutionary history of the enigmatic Archaeotrogonidae (Aves, Strisores). Papers in Palaeontology, 7: 2049–2064.
(317) The coracoscapular joint of neornithine birds ‒ extensive homoplasy in a widely neglected articular surface of the pectoral girdle and its functional correlates. Zoomorphology, 140: 217-228.
(316) Tsai, C.-H. & Mayr, G.: A phasianid bird from the Pleistocene of Tainan: the very first bird fossil from Taiwan. Journal of Ornithology, 162: 919–923.
(315) Mayr, G., De Pietri, V.L., Love, L., Mannering, A.A. & Scofield, R.P.: Oldest, smallest, and phylogenetically most basal pelagornithid, from the early Paleocene of New Zealand, sheds light on the evolutionary history of the largest flying birds. Papers in Palaeontology, 7 (1): 217-233.
(314) Sangster, G. & Mayr, G.: A name for the clade formed by Pelecaniformes, Suliformes, Ciconiiformes, Procellariiformes and Sphenisciformes. Vertebrate Zoology, 71: 49-53.
(313) A partial skeleton of a new species of Tynskya Mayr, 2000 (Aves, Messelasturidae) from the London Clay highlights the osteological distinctness of a poorly known early Eocene “owl/parrot mosaic”. Paläontologische Zeitschrift 95 (2): 337-357.
(312) Kuhl, H., Frankl-Vilches, C., Bakker, A., Mayr, G., Nikolaus, G., Boerno, S.T., Klages, S., Timmermann, B. & Gahr, M.: An unbiased molecular approach using 3’UTRs resolves the avian family-level tree of life. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 38 (1): 108–127.
(311) Mayr, G., Goedert, J.L., De Pietri, V. & Scofield, R.P.: Comparative osteology of the penguin-like mid-Cenozoic Plotopteridae and the earliest true fossil penguins, with comments on the origins of wing-propelled diving. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 59 (1): 264-276
(310) Mayr, G. & Manegold, A.: On the comparative morphology of the juvenile avian skull: an assessment of squamosal shape across avian higher-level taxa. The Anatomical Record, 304 (4): 825-859.
2020
(309) A remarkably complete skeleton from the London Clay provides insights into the morphology and diversity of early Eocene zygodactyl near-passerine birds. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 18 (22): 1891-1906
(308) Mayr, G., Pittmann, M., Kaye, T.G., Saitta, E.T. & Pott, C.: Reanalysis of putative ovarian follicles suggests that Early Cretaceous birds were feeding not breeding. Scientific Reports, 10: 19035; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76078-2.
(307) Mayr, G. & Hurum, J. H.: A tiny, long-legged raptor from the early Oligocene of Poland may be the earliest bird-eating diurnal bird of prey. Science of Nature, 107: 48; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-020-01703-z.
(306) Mayr, G. & Perner, T.: A new species of diurnal birds of prey from the late Eocene of Wyoming (USA) – one of the earliest New World records of the Accipitridae (hawks, eagles, and allies). Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen, 297(2): 205-215.
(305) An updated review of the middle Eocene avifauna from the Geiseltal (Germany), with comments on the unusual taphonomy of some bird remains. Geobios, 62: 45-59.
(304) Mayr, G., Gingerich, P. D. & Smith, T.: Skeleton of a new owl from the early Eocene of North America (Aves, Strigiformes) with an accipitrid-like foot morphology. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 40 (2): e1769116; doi: 10.1080/02724634.2020.1769116
(303) Mayr, G., Lechner, T. & Böhme, M.: A skull of a very large crane from the late Miocene of Southern Germany, with notes on the phylogenetic interrelationships of extant Gruinae. Journal of Ornithology, 161(4): 923-933.
(302) Mayr, G., Lechner, T. & Böhme, M.: The large-sized darter Anhinga pannonica (Aves, Anhingidae) from the late Miocene hominid Hammerschmiede locality in Southern Germany. PLoS ONE 15(5): e0232179; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232179.
(301) Mayr, G., Codrea, V., Solomon, A., Bordeianu, M. & Smith, T.: Reply to comments on “A well-preserved pelvis from the Maastrichtian of Romania suggests that the enigmatic Gargantuavis is neither an ornithurine bird nor an insular endemic”. Cretaceous Research, 112: 104271.
(300) Mayr, G., De Pietri, V. L., Love, L., Mannering, A. A. & Scofield, R. P.: Leg bones of a new penguin species from the Waipara Greensand add to the diversity of very large-sized Sphenisciformes in the Paleocene of New Zealand. Alcheringa, 44(1): 194-201.
(299) Mayr, G., De Pietri, V. L., Love, L., Mannering, A. A., Bevitt, J. J. & Scofield, R. P.: First complete wing of a stem group sphenisciform from the Paleocene of New Zealand sheds light on the evolution of the penguin flipper. Diversity, 12(2), 46: 1-13; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12020046.
(298) Mayr, G.: Comparative morphology of the avian maxillary bone (os maxillare) based on an examination of macerated juvenile skeletons. Acta Zoologica, 101(1): 24-38.
(297) The otic region of the skull of neognathous birds: on the homology and comparative morphology of some neurovascular and muscular foramina and other external skeletal structures. Vertebrate Zoology, 70(1): 69-85.
(296) Mayr, G., Codrea, V., Solomon, A., Bordeianu, M. & Smith, T.: A well-preserved pelvis from the Maastrichtian of Romania suggests that the enigmatic Gargantuavis is neither an ornithurine bird nor an insular endemic. Cretaceous Research, 106: 104271
(295) Mayr, G. & Tennyson, A.J.D.: A small, narrow-beaked albatross from the Pliocene of New Zealand demonstrates a higher past diversity in the feeding ecology of the Diomedeidae. The Ibis, 162: 723-734.
(294) Mayr, G., Bochenski, Z. M., Tomek, T., Wertz, K., Bienkowska-Wasiluk, M. & Manegold, A.: Skeletons from the early Oligocene of Poland fill a significant temporal gap in the fossil record of upupiform birds (hoopoes and allies). Historical Biology, 32(9): 1163-1175.
(293) De Pietri, V. L., Mayr, G., & Scofield, R. P.: Becassius charadriioides, an early Miocene pratincole-like bird from France – with comments on the early evolutionary history of the Glareolidae (Aves, Charadriiformes). Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 94: 107-124.
