First late Miocene bird assemblage from central Argentina, with the description of new taxa

Abstract

Here, we present a fossil bird assemblage coming from levels of the Las Flores Formation, in the area of Puchuzum in the Calingasta Valley. The fossil mammals represent the Huayquerian SALMA within the late Miocene. We report for the first time a fossil bird fauna coming from central Argentina. The avifauna is composed of an indeterminate anatid, a new tadornine duck, a new palaelodid flamingo, a new grebe, a coot of the genus Fulica and an indeterminate heron and a recurvirostrid, which constitute a typical waterbird assemblage. This bird assemblage was found in beds interpreted as being a fluvial system with floodplains that represented an ephemeral lake (‘Puchuzum lake’), exposed to seasonal droughts. It is possible that the Pliocene arid pulse that occurred in central Argentina may be regarded as a possible cause of the extinction of some members of the Puchuzum avifauna, particularly those of palaelodids.