Eocypselus grandissimus
Eocypselus grandissimus
Summary
Eocypselus grandissimus was the largest of the named London Clay Eocypselus species. It was a stem apodiform rather than a modern swift, retaining a more generalised flight skeleton while already belonging to the lineage that includes swifts and hummingbirds.
Aerial capture of insects is plausible, but its flight and feeding should not be reconstructed as identical to those of living swifts. The species is known from skeletal material whose larger dimensions help distinguish it from the other London Clay members of Eocypselus, although size must be used together with anatomy.
Quick Identification
Look for: Eocypselus type associated wing and shoulder material that is consistently larger than the other named London Clay species. Do not use a single oversized fragment alone; confirm the eocypselid morphology and proportional pattern.
Diagnostic Features
- The species has the diagnostic eocypselid apodiform skeletal construction.
- It is the largest named Eocypselus species in the London Clay assemblage.
- The wing remains less specialised than that of crown swifts despite its apodiform affinities.
- Associated bone proportions distinguish it from the smaller E. vincenti, E. geminus and E. paulomajor.
- Reliable species identification requires both size and the published osteological character combination.
Fossil Details
Similar Species
Recorded Fossil Sites
No fossil-site occurrences have yet been recorded for this species.