Brevirostruavis Explained

Brevirostruavis (meaning "short rostrum bird") is a genus of Early Cretaceous enenatiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning, China. The type and only species is Brevirostruavis macrohyoideus.^[1]

Description

The holotype of the Brevirostruavis, IVPP V13266, preserves features of the skeletal anatomy not seen among early stem and extant birds. Such features include extremely lengthy and bony ceratobranchial hyoid elements, and a very short cranial rostrum. The combination of a long tongue and short beak is not seen in extant birds.^[2] This may indicate a feeding specialization similar to hummingbirds and other living birds with craniofacial similarities, such as honeyeaters and woodpeckers, although with these groups the epibranchials are lengthened.

Paleoecology

Brevirostruavis comes from Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation, Which has the biggest and most important collection of Mesozoic birds.^[3] Other animals in the formation contains include the choristodere reptile Liaoxisaurus, the fish Lycoptera, the early mammal-like Fossiomanus,^[4] and the dinosaur Sinotyrannus.^[5]

Notes and References

1. 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. 2021. 240 . 4 . 627–638 . en. 10.1111/joa.13588. 34854094. 8930807 . 244860443. 1469-7580.
2. https://www.popsci.com/science/ancient-fossil-bird-tongue/ This 120-million-year-old bird could stick out its tongue
3. New geochronological constraints for the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in Jianchang Basin, NE China, and their implications for the late Jehol Biota. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 2021. 10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110657. Yu. Zhiqiang. Wang. Min. Li. Youjuan. Deng. Chenglong. He. Huaiyu. 583. 110657. 2021PPP...58310657Y. 239406222. free.
4. Fossoriality and evolutionary development in two Cretaceous mammaliamorphs. Nature. 2021. 10.1038/s41586-021-03433-2 . 0028-0836. Mao. Fangyuan. Zhang. Chi. Liu. Cunyu. Meng. Jin. 592. 7855. 577–582. 33828300. 2021Natur.592..577M. 233183060.
5. Ji. Qiang. Ji. Shu-an. Zhang. Li-jun. First large tyrannosauroid theropod from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota in northeastern China. 2009. Geological Bulletin of China. 28. 10. 1369–1374.