The Oldest Short-Tailed Bird Fossil Discovered - China

Wang Min (R), a researcher with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Zhou Zhonghe, an academician of CAS, discuss on possible directions in future research efforts on the fossilized bird Baminornis zhenghensis at an office of IVPP in Beijing, capital of China, on February 10, 2025. Chinese scientists have unearthed the oldest short-tailed bird fossil, dating back about 150 million years, in east China's Fujian Province. This suggests that birds might have originated earlier than previously thought. The fossilized bird Baminornis zhenghensis was discovered in Zhenghe County, Fujian Province. Its short tail ends in a compound bone called the pygostyle, a feature uniquely present in modern birds. This indicates that the body structure of modern birds emerged in the Late Jurassic Period, 20 million years earlier than previously known. The study, conducted by researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropo