Confuciusornis

Confuciusornis Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 125–120 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
C. sanctus fossil preserving long wing and tail feathers.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animal
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Saurischia
Family:	Confuciusornithidae
Type species
†Confuciusornis sanctus Hou et al., 1995
Species
†C. sanctus Hou et al., 1995 (type) †C. dui Hou et al., 1999
Synonyms
C. sanctus C. feducciai Zhang et al., 2009 C. jianchangensis Li et al., 2010 C. suniae Hou, 1997

Confuciusornis is a genus of primitive crow-sized birds from the Lower Cretaceous. It was found in the Yixian and Jiufotang Formations of China, dating from 125 to 120 million years ago. The bird was named after the Chinese moral philosopher Confucius (551–479 BC).

Like modern birds, Confuciusornis had a toothless beak, but close relatives of modern birds such as Hesperornis and Ichthyornis were toothed. This shows that the loss of teeth occurred more than once, in Confuciusornis and in ancestors of modern birds. This is an example of convergent evolution.

Confuciusornis is the oldest known bird to have a beak.^[1] It is also the first known bird to have lost the long tail of Archaeopteryx and develop fused tail vertebrae (a pygostyle).^[2]

Confuciusornis is one of the most abundant vertebrates found in the Yixian Formation, and several hundred complete, articulated specimens have been found.^[3]

The proportions of the toes suggest that they were used for both walking and perching, while the large claws of the thumb and third finger were probably used for climbing. The head probably had a small crest or tuft.

1. ↑ Ivanov M., Hrdlickova S. & Gregorova R. 2001. The complete encyclopedia of fossils. Rebo Publishers, Nederlands. p312
2. ↑ Clarke, Julia. A. Norell Mark. A. 2002. The morphology and phylogenetic position of Apsaravis ukhaana from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. American Museum Novitates, #3387, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
3. ↑ Xu X. and Norell M.A. 2006. Non-Avian dinosaur fossils from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group of western Liaoning, China. Geological Journal, 41: 419–437.