Preface 1. A 52-Million-Year-Old Community Exquisitely Preserved Through Time Fossil Lake within the larger context of the Green River Formation Reconstructing the past geological history, climate, and ecosystem Preservation of Fossil Lake birds Scientific benefits of large-scale collecting efforts and sample size Current extent of the Fossil Lake deposits Other significant Paleogene bird localities mentioned in this book 2. Bird Bones, and Using the Present to Interpret the Past Skeletal anatomy of the chicken Anatomy and the study of bird evolution 3. Categorizing Modern Birds into Groups That Reflect Hypothetical Relationships Methodological philosophies, symbols, and nomenclature The evolutionary classification of modern birds (Neornithes) Birds known from Fossil Lake sediments 4. Palaeognathae +Lithornithiformes (extinct relatives of ratites and tinamous) 5. Galloanseres Galliformes (landfowl) Anseriformes (waterfowl) +Gastornithiformes (extinct flightless galloanserine order) 6. Mirandornithes Phoenicopteriformes (flamingos) 7. Columbaves Musophagiformes (turacos)--Opisthocomiformes (hoatzins) 8.

Cursorimorphae Gruiformes (cranes, rails, and allies) Possible Charadriiformes (shorebirds and allies) 9. Strisores Apodiformes (swifts and allies) Possible Podargiformes (frogmouths) Steatornithiformes (oilbirds) 10. Phaethontimorphae Possible Eurypygiformes (sunbitterns) 11. Aequornithes Pelecaniformes (ibises, herons, pelicans, and allies) Suliformes (frigatebirds, gannets, and allies) Aequornithes, undetermined order 12. Afroaves Coliiformes (mousebirds) Leptosomiformes (courols) Bucerotiformes (hoopoes, hornbills, and allies) Coraciiformes (rollers and allies) Piciformes (woodpeckers, toucans, and allies) Afroaves, undetermined order 13. Australaves Falconiformes (falcons) Psittacopasseres (parrots and passerines) Pan-Passeriformes (Passeriformes sensu lato) (perching birds and songbirds) 14. Taphonomy: Death and Preservation in the Fossil Record Causes of death Color variation in fossils due to the chemistry of the sediments Articulation versus disarticulation in skeletal preservation Gut contents (possible food items) Predators of Fossil Lake birds Feather and soft tissue preservation 15. Fossil Lake and the Evolution of Modern Birds Where it all began: Mesozoic bird faunas of the world The diversification of birds after the K-Pg global extinction event Paleogene bird faunas of the world, and Fossil Lake's place with them Concluding Remarks Acknowledgments List of Institutional Abbreviations References Taxonomic Index Subject Index.