Concornis lacustris, a small enantiornithine bird that lived alongside dinosaurs more than 100 million years ago, has been reconstructed at life size using fossil evidence, digital modeling, 3D printing and traditional sculpting techniques.
Concornis lacustris lived in what is now Europe approximately 125 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous period. It belonged to the enantiornithines, an extinct group of birds that flourished during the Cretaceous but disappeared in the mass extinction that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
Fossils of the species were discovered at the Las Hoyas site in Cuenca, Spain. They were first described in 1992 and have provided paleontologists with important information about early birds.
Reconstructing an Early Cretaceous bird
The holotype of Concornis lacustris provided fundamental anatomical data for understanding the evolution of small Mesozoic birds, according to Dr. Víctor Peco of the Complutense University of Madrid and Dr. Sergio Nebreda of Johns Hopkins University, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the Autonomous University of Madrid.
“Furthermore, this species helped reveal details of the active flight capabilities of these birds, revealing important aspects of bird behavior and paleontology,” the researchers said.
In a new paper, the researchers describe the first life-size, three-dimensional reconstruction of Concornis lacustris. They began with the bird’s skeleton and added layers of muscle and skin, following an approach commonly used by anatomists and paleoartists.
The team created a digital model in Blender using publicly available drawings and photographs of the fossil. Because the skull and other parts of the specimen were missing, they used comparisons with other early birds, including a well-preserved skull from Brazil and another skull from Las Hoyas.
The digital model was 3D-printed in plastic, covered with sculpted epoxy putty and finished with oil paint. Thin plastic filament represented the bird’s down, while the wing feathers were printed separately.
The researchers based the number and shape of the feathers on fossils from China and Spain, as well as on modern birds. The wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) was used as a modern comparison because it flies in a similar manner.
“The methodology developed in this study integrates digital tools, 3D printing, and traditional sculpting techniques to optimize the restoration process, facilitate scientific review, and yield anatomically consistent results with a high degree of realism,” the researchers explained.
Appearance and behavior
Because pigments were not preserved in the holotype specimen, the scientists inferred the bird’s coloration from related fossils. The reconstruction has a dark-brown back and wings, striped flight feathers, a pale underside and an iridescent blue-green sheen on the head.
The sculpture has a wingspan of approximately 30 centimeters (12 inches) and a body length of approximately 13 centimeters (5 inches). It depicts the bird perched on a branch of Frenelopsis, a coniferous tree that was abundant in the Las Hoyas ecosystem.
The model shows the bird spreading its wings and moving its feathers forward as it slows down to land.
“Our study aims to improve our understanding of Enantiornis by integrating osteological, myological, and integumentary data from highly preserved fossils,” the researchers said.
The paper was published on September 26 in Earth’s History and Biodiversity.
Reference
Víctor G. Peco and Sergio M. Nebreda. 2026. “Mesozoic bird scientific sculpture Concornis lacustris: Paleoart as an outreach resource.” Earth’s History and Biodiversity 10: 100047. Paper. doi: 10.1016/j.hisbio.2026.100047.
Source: www.sci.news
