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Confuciusornis
Period of life:
125-120 MYA
Era/period:
Cretaceous
Habitat:
China
Length:
0.5
Description
Confuciusornis ("Confucius bird" from Latin) is a primitive extinct birds species of the Early Cretaceous period, inhabited China 120 million years ago.
Flying creature fossils were purchased by a young paleontologist Zhang He in 1993, in Sihetun. It soon became clear that sellers were illegally trading this valuable exhibit.
Crow sized Confuciusornis had a toothless beak like most modern-day birds. Presumably, loss of teeth occurred in the process of evolution since close birds ancestors - Ichthyornis and Hesperornis - had them. The bird lost its long tail; instead, it had a scanty pygostyle, a complete tail vertebrae fusion. Confuciusornis was covered with feathered plumage. The oldest birds specimen fed on insects and plants.