Chinese fossil of bird with undersized wings scrambles avian evolution
Scientists have discovered a 150-million-year-old bird fossil in China named Yuezhuornis yangyuanensis. The discovery suggests that early avian evolution was more complex than previously thought, as the bird appears to have been better adapted for running than flying.
Why it matters
This finding challenges the long-held scientific paradigm that early avian body plans were driven exclusively by the requirements of flight.
Oct 14 (Reuters) – Scientists have discovered the fossil of a crow-sized bird that lived in China roughly 150 million years ago and possessed undersized wings that may have made it more of a runner than a flier — a discovery that paints a more complicated picture of early avian evolution.
The new Jurassic Period species, Yuezhuornis yangyuanensis, represents one of the earliest-known birds, similar in age to the famous Archaeopteryx from Europe. Yuezhuornis is puzzling for an early bird in that it seems already to have diminished the ability to fly in favor of running on the ground, perhaps somewhat like a roadrunner — a fast runner but clumsy flier that rarely takes to the air.
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