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When does the fossil record of modern waterfowl begin?
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Anseriform
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos).
The rich fossil record of modern waterfowl begins in the Late Eocene Epoch, which occurred approximately 37 to 33.7 million years ago.1
While the ancestors of anseriforms represent an ancient lineage that dates back to the Cretaceous Period more than 65 million years ago, the specific fossil evidence for modern waterfowl groups appears later in the geological record.1