Paleontologists found fossils of two ancient bird species in Zhenghe County, Fujian province, China. These fossils are 149 million years old. They show important bird features that appeared early in their history. This discovery suggests that birds may have started to appear earlier than we thought.
One bird, named Baminornis zhenghensis, is the oldest known short-tailed bird. It has a short tail with a bone called the pygostyle, which is found in modern birds. Until now, the earliest short-tailed bird was thought to be from the Early Cretaceous period. This new finding pushes back that date by nearly 20 million years.
The second bird is not named yet. It is identified by a single fossilized wishbone, called a furcula. Researchers believe this furcula is related to a group of Cretaceous birds called Ornithuromorpha.
This research was published in the journal Nature by Professor Min Wang and his team from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.
Vocabulary List:
- Paleontologists /ˌpeɪ.li.ənˈtɒl.ə.dʒɪsts/ (noun): Scientists who study fossils and the history of life on Earth.
- Fossils /ˈfɒs.ɪl/ (noun): Preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms.
- Cretaceous /krɪˈteɪ.ʃəs/ (adjective): Relating to the last period of the Mesozoic era known for the dominance of dinosaurs.
- Identification /aɪˌdɛntɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ (noun): The action or process of identifying someone or something.
- Furcula /ˈfɜːr.kjʊ.lə/ (noun): A forked structure in birds commonly known as the wishbone.
- Discovery /dɪsˈkʌv.ə.ri/ (noun): The act of finding or learning something for the first time.
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