Brevirostruavis
Brevirostruavis macrohyoideus is a genus of Early Cretaceous bird from China.[1]
Description
Brevistrostruavis is an entantiornithine from the Upper Cretaceous rocks of the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning, northeastern China.[1] The holotype of the taxon had preserved features of the skeletal anatomy not seen among early stem and extant birds.[1] Such features include an extremely lengthy and bony hyoid material, and a very short cranial rostrum.[1] This may have resulted in a similar feeding style to that of Hummingbirds and other living birds with craniofacial similarities.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Li, Zhiheng; Wang, Min; Stidham, Thomas A.; Zhou, Zhonghe; Clarke, Julia. "Novel evolution of a hyper-elongated tongue in a Cretaceous enantiornithine from China and the evolution of the hyolingual apparatus and feeding in birds". Journal of Anatomy. n/a (n/a). doi:10.1111/joa.13588. ISSN 1469-7580.