New Piscivorous bird found from the Lower Cretaceous of western Liaoning, China

[PhysOrg]

The Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group in northeastern China has yielded the world's greatest wealth of exceptionally well-preserved early birds. More than 30 bird taxa have been reported from the Jehol Group – approximately one-third of the known global diversity of Mesozoic birds. In a study published online August 28 in Historical Biology (2013), Dr. ZHOU Zhonghe, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his team described a new species of basal ornithuromorph bird, Piscivoravis lii gen. et sp. nov., based on a new specimen preserving macerated fish remains recently collected from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation near Xiaotaizi village, Jianchang, Liaoning Province of China. The new specimen preserves several unique anatomical features previously unreported in Early Cretaceous ornithuromorphs, helping us better understand the early diversification of Ornithuromorpha with respect to character evolution and diet.

 

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