The Miocene birds of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) with a discussion of the age of modern species and genera

A new fossil vertebrate site dating to the late Miocene yielding bird remains was recently discovered at Ruwais in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The fossils from the new locality come from the Baynunah Formation which is largely composed of fluvial deposits. The bird remains from Ruwais and other late Miocene localities with Baynunah Formation deposits are here described. The taxa and material represented are Struthioformidae eggshell, and Anhinga sp. and Ardeidae postcranial skeletal material. The presence of a modern genus in the Miocene has prompted a discussion here of the maximum age of modern genera in the fossil record, which in many cases appears to be Neogene. The latter can in turn lead to the identification of modern species because a past member of a modern genus falls within the size range of a modern species