Paleontologists have excavated fossilized remains of two Jurassic bird species in the area of Zenge County, Fujian Province, southeastern China. These 149 million-year-old fossils exhibit early appearances of highly derived bird characteristics, and together with fossils of another bird from the same region, they have the early origins of the birds and the early Jurassic. It suggests bird radiation.
“Birds are the most diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates,” says Professor Min Wang. Paleontology and Paleontology of Vertebrates The Chinese Academy of Sciences and colleagues said in a statement.
“Specific macroevolutionary studies suggest that their early diversification dates back to the Jurassic period.”
“However, the earliest evolutionary history of birds has long been obscure by highly fragmented fossil records. Archeopteryx Being the only widely accepted Jurassic bird. ”
“nevertheless Archeopteryx It was closely similar, especially due to its distinctive long reptile tail, as it had feathered wings. This is in stark contrast to the short-tailed morphology of modern and Cretaceous birds. ”
“Recent research questions about Aviaran's status. Archeopteryx classifies it as a deinonychosaurian dinosaur, a sister group of birds. ”
“This raises the question of whether there is a clear record of Jurassic birds.”
In their new study, Professor Wang and co-authors discovered and investigated two early bird fossils that were part of the so-called Zhenghe Biota.
One of these birds named Baminornis Zhenghensis the earliest known short-tailed bird.
“Baminornis Zhenghensis The end of the short tail in a complex bone called Pygostyle is a characteristic that can also be observed in living birds,” the paleontologist said.
“Previously, the oldest record of short-tailed birds was from the early Cretaceous period.”
“Baminornis Zhenghensis It is the only Jurassic and the oldest short-tailed bird ever discovered, pushing back the appearance of this derivative bird's distinctive features for nearly 20 million years. ”
According to the team, Baminornis Zhenghensis It also represents one of the oldest known birds.
“A step back and reconsidering the uncertainty of the phylogenetics Archeopteryx we don’t doubt it Baminornis Zhenghensis said Dr. Zhonghe Zhou of the Institute for Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The second unnamed bird is represented by a single fossilized fullcula (wishbone).
“Our results support this introduction to Furcula ornithuromorpha a diverse group of Cretaceous birds,” the researchers said.
Team's work It was published in the journal today Nature.
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R. Chen et al. 2025. The first short-tailed bird from the late late Jurassic period in China. Nature 638, 441-448; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08410-z
Source: www.sci.news
