Jurassic Fossil Discovery in China Reveals Clues to Bird Evolution

A research team led by Professor Wang Min from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has discovered two Jurassic-era bird fossils in Fujian Province, China. These fossils, dating back approximately 149 million years, provide new insights into the early evolutionary history of birds. Published in Nature, this study challenges previous assumptions about bird evolution and suggests that birds were more diversified by the end of the Jurassic period than previously thought. The discovery of Baminornis zhenghensis, the oldest short-tailed bird, pushes back the origin of this feature by nearly 20 million years, refining our understanding of avian evolution.

Key Highlights of the Discovery

• Discovery Location: Fujian Province, southeast China
• Age of Fossils: ~149 million years (Jurassic period)
• Significance: Fills a crucial gap in the early evolution of birds
• Published in: Nature

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Baminornis zhenghensis – The Oldest Short-Tailed Bird

• Named Baminornis zhenghensis, one of the two fossils exhibits key evolutionary traits.
• Possesses a short tail ending in a pygostyle, a feature of modern birds.
• Displays a combination of primitive and advanced traits, including,
• 1. Ornithothoracine bird-like shoulder and pelvic girdles (advanced feature).
• 2. Hand structure resembling non-avialan dinosaurs (primitive feature).
• Pushes back the first appearance of short-tailed birds by nearly 20 million years.
• Phylogenetic analysis places Baminornis zhenghensis as a derived form closely related to Archaeopteryx.

Reevaluation of Archaeopteryx

• Previously, Archaeopteryx was considered the only widely accepted Jurassic bird.
• Recent studies suggest it might be a deinonychosaurian dinosaur, rather than a true bird.
• If Archaeopteryx is excluded, Baminornis zhenghensis becomes the first definitive Jurassic bird.

The Second Fossil – Ornithuromorpha Connetion

• The second fossil consists only of a furcula (wishbone).
• Geometric morphometric and phylogenetic analysis suggests it belongs to Ornithuromorpha, a diverse group of Cretaceous birds.
• Due to poor preservation, no new species was named, and further fossil evidence is required.