Scientists Discover 'Groundbreaking' Jurassic Fossil That Could Overhaul the Evolutionary History of Birds
Researchers have discovered a 149-million-year-old bird fossil in southeastern China, featuring a short tail structure that could rewrite the evolutionary history of birds. As detailed in a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature,
Jurassic fossil from China rewrites history of bird evolution
Scientists have unearthed in southeastern China the fossil of a quail-sized bird that lived about 150 million years ago during the Jurassic Period and possessed surprisingly modern traits, a discovery that rewrites the history of avian evolution.
Jurassic fossil discovery in east China sheds new light on origin of birds
Chinese scientists have unearthed the oldest short-tailed bird fossil, dating back about 150 million years, in east China's Fujian Province. This suggests that birds might have originated earlier than previously thought.
Jurassic bird fossils found in Fujian rewrite history of avian evolution
A set of fossils discovered in East China's Fujian province has been identified as the only known unambiguous record of Jurassic birds, pushing back the origin of birds to the late Middle Jurassic period and rewriting the history of avian evolution.
150-million-year-old fossil shows early bird diversification in the Jurassic Period
The bird has a short tail ending in a pygostyle, an important aerodynamic innovation moving the center of mass forward toward the wings.
New Scientist2d
See the fluorescing tail feathers of a male emperor bird-of-paradise
Birds-of-paradise are known for their bright colours and courtship displays. Now, it turns out that many species also have ...
AZ Animals (US) on MSN7mon
10 Birds With Incredibly Long Tails and What They Use Them For
Tail feathers grow from the bird’s tail or structures that are part of the tail. So finding birds who actually ...
Berkshire Eagle1d
How can you tell if the same birds are returning to your feeder?
Columnist Bill Danielson explores the challenge of identifying individual birds and the rare moments that make one stand out ...
Salon4d
Ray tails have long been mysterious. Scientists may have finally discovered their function
By contrast, most aquatic vertebrates have a lateral line that is streamlined near the animal’s tail and only becomes complex near their head. This would help them both bury themselves to avoid ...
Live Science28d
'Sexy' pterosaur tail should have been nightmare for flying. How did it work?
The first pterosaurs had a sail-like tensioning system for flying with potentially cumbersome tail vanes, which they could have used for displays, a new study finds.
The Victoria Advocate10d
Scientists discover skull of oldest known modern bird
now-extinct species with teeth and long bony tails, only distantly related to modern birds. "Something very different seems to have been happening in the far reaches of the Southern Hemisphere ...