A new species of Pica (Aves: Corvidae) from the Plio-Pleistocene of Mallorca, Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean)

A new species of corvid assigned to genus Pica is described from Pedrera de s'Onix (Mallorca), a fossil site referred to the Plio-Pleistocene boundary. The combination of osteological features in the fossil species is not fully coincident with any Palearctic Corvidae; the major resemblance is with Pica pica and to a lesser extend with Garrulus glandarius. Automorphic characters are present in the humerus, femur and quadrate. The generic attribution is based on the latter bone. A reduction of the wing elements and a lengthening of the leg is present in the fossil species, probably achieved through insular evolution. Ratios estimating relative proportions of wing and leg skeleton prove reduction in flight capability compared to recent Corvidae, although the trend is not as extreme as in the insular Traversia lyalli (Acanthisittidae) or Emberiza alcoveri (Emberizidae), the only truly flightless passerines known so far. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.