Science

Not all early birds evolved toward better flight, Jurassic fossil suggests

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 14/10/2026, 15:10:24 UTC.

Briefings

A 2026 study challenges the long-held assumption that early bird evolution prioritized flight efficiency. This conclusion is supported by the discovery of a 150-million-year-old bird fossil from Fujian province, China, which is remarkably well-preserved. The fossil suggests that early birds did not necessarily evolve toward better flight capabilities, indicating a more complex evolutionary history than previously understood.

Key points

• A 150-million-year-old bird fossil from Fujian province, China, is remarkably well-preserved and challenges long-held assumptions about early bird evolution.
• The fossil suggests that early birds did not necessarily evolve toward better flight capabilities, indicating a more complex evolutionary history than previously understood.

Context and limitations

The fossil is from a 150-million-year-old period, and the study is a research preprint with significant uncertainty regarding the fossil's exact age and the fossil's implications for early bird evolution.

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