Seabird in the Cretaceous, with a species called "Tytthostonyx glauconiticus", which seems allied to the Procellariiformes and Pelecaniformes. In the Paleogene both pterosaurs and marine reptiles became extinct, allowing seabirds to expand ecologically. These post-extinction seas were dominated by early Procellariidae, giant penguins and two extinct families, the Pelagornithidae and the Plotopteridae (a group of large seabirds that looked like the penguins). Modern genera began their wide radiation in the Miocene, although the genus "Puffinus" (which includes today's Manx shearwater and sooty shearwater) might date back to the Oligocene. The highest diversity of seabirds apparently existed during the Late Miocene and
Storrs L. Olson world's foremost paleornithologists. He was also the 1994 recipient of the Loye and Alden Miller Research Award. He was formerly curator of birds at the United States National Museum of Natural History; , he holds an emeritus position in the institution. Several prehistoric bird species have been named after Olson, including "Nycticorax olsoni", "Himantopus olsoni", "Puffinus olsoni", "Primobucco olsoni", "Gallirallus storrsolsoni", and "Quercypodargus olsoni". Storrs L. Olson Storrs Lovejoy Olson (born April 3, 1944) is an American biologist and ornithologist who spent his career the Smithsonian Institution, retiring in 2008. One of the world's foremost avian paleontologists, he is best