First record of bird tracks from Paleogene of China (Guangdong Province)

The record of Paleogene bird traces is quite scarce, especially when compared with the Mesozoic. Avian tracks have been reported mainly from western North America and the Middle East, with some sites also present in Europe and Sumatra. Here the first record of Eocene bird tracks from East Asia is reported. The track bearing level is recorded at the upper part of the Huayong Formation (lower Eocene), one of the continental units of the Sanshui Basin. han 350 footprints were documented from three collected slabs. Many footprints were found in trackways, five morphotypes were identified and assigned to four ichnotaxon: Gruipeda sp., Aviadactyla sp., Avipeda sp., and Fuscinapeda sp. The ichnotaxonomical identifications are supported by canonical variate analysis (CVA) based on the better preserved traces. These surfaces show a varied ichnofaunal assemblage composed of small and medium shorebirds, large “game” birds, crane-like birds and heron-like birds, providing a more complete picture than was previously known of Early Eocene avian faunal assemblages in Asia.