Abstract

All fossil bird orders recorded from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic periods in deposits of Chile and the Antarctic Peninsula have been summarized. Chilean insular territory and quaternary records have been excluded. The Bahía Inglesa Formation located in Copiapó province in northern Chile and the La Meseta Formation of Seymour Island have been identified as the richest fossiliferous fossil bird-bearing localities for Chile and the Antarctic Peninsula respectively. The importance of these records as indicators of paleoenvironmental conditions is discussed.