Confuciusornis was a crow-like fossil bird that lived in the Cretaceous ~120 million years ago. It was one of the first birds to evolve a beak. Early beak evolution remains understudied. Using an ...

Multiple bones (humerus, radius, ulna, tibia and femur) of 11 individuals were sampled for histological analyses. In three specimens, ornamental rectrices were clearly visible, whereas in six others ...

The evolution of flight took longer than previously thought with the ancestors of modern birds "rubbish" at flying, if they flew at all, according to scientists. The evolution of flight took longer ...

Confuciusornis sanctus, a prehistoric beaked bird which co-existed with dinosaurs some 120 million years ago, had a dark body, neck and tail, and impressive patterns along its feathers. We know that, ...

Fossil showing the wing and feathers of the prehistoric bird Confuciusornis.

For 135 years, the earliest known bird, Archaeopteryx, led a lonely life. A couple of ambiguous fossils aside, no avian specimen anywhere near as old as this 147-million-year-old creature had been ...

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Confuciusornis was a crow-like fossil bird that lived in the Cretaceous ~120 million years ago. It was one of the first birds to evolve a beak (Fig. 1). Early beak evolution remains understudied.