Microraptor's World
Ancient bird
Confuciusornis
When feathered dinosaurs roamed the land, true birds soared
through the Liaoning skies. Some were as big as albatrosses; others, such as
this Confuciusornis, were more the size
of pigeons. This fossil, dating to about 120 million years ago, reveals characteristics
that make Confuciusornis a mix of
primitive (more dinosaur-like) and advanced (modern bird-like) traits: Like
dinosaurs and the oldest known bird, Archaeopteryx, it has three fingers that are not fused into a
single element, but like modern birds, it has a toothless beak and a
well-developed shoulder girdle to power flight.