This bird is predominantly found in swampy regions of Africa like Uganda, Eastern Zaire, Sudan, and Zambia. As characteristic of aves, the shoebill stork is understood to have evolved from dinosaurs millions of years ago. Haplocheirus is a type of alvarezsauriod, a group of dinosaurs once thought to be flightless birds, but lacks the bird-like features found in later alvarezsauriods such as fused wrist bones and a backward-facing pubis. The shoebill stork has prominent prehistoric features with a sturdy hollow beak, long legs, and an overall large head. Quick on its heels was the announcement of another stunning new feathered dinosaur Haplocheirus sollers, also from China and about 160 million years old. This species, found in China, dates to between 161-151 million years old and has well-developed feathers on all four limbs. That was until Anchiornis huxleyi was announced in 2009. Sinornithosaurus was one of the first dinosaurs discovered with feathers.Īlthough it is widely accepted that a small group of theropod dinosaurs gave rise to birds, finding feathered dinosaurs in the fossil record that predate the earliest known bird Archaeopteryx (150myo) has proven elusive. Whether this helped in attacking prey or leaping among tree branches is difficult to say. Its rigid tail acted as a counterbalance, allowing pinpoint accuracy and freeing the powerful feet claws. The shoebill bird is native to the marshes of East. Sinornithosaurus may have been adapted for leaping. If youre looking for a modern-day dinosaur, then the elusive shoebill stork might be the closest youll get. Classification: Theropoda Dromaeosauridae. Fossils from China, Early Cretaceous, 130-122 million years ago. Its name means ‘first Chinese reptilian wing’. The shape of melanosomes (tiny pigment packages in cells) in its feathers suggests it had a ginger body and white and ginger stripes on its tail. It was the first non-avian dinosaur found with feather-like structures, providing further evidence for the link between dinosaurs and birds. The discovery of Sinosauropteryx prima in 1996 was one of the most important fossil finds of the century. Classification: Theropoda Compsognathidae. Fossils from China, Early Cretaceous, 130–122 million years ago. The rest of the body was covered in short primitive feathers with longer feathers on its arms and tail. Caudipteryx means ‘tail feather’, referring to the tail plume that this non-avian dinosaur possessed, and may have fanned out for display. Classification: Theropoda Oviraptorosauria.
Such inferred behaviour strengthens the link between non-avian dinosaurs and birds. This posture resembles the ‘sleeping’ pose commonly used by modern birds.
The fossilised skeleton of Mei long, a non-avian coelurosaur from China, was preserved with its head ‘tucked’ under its forelimb. Considering who came first, perhaps we should stop describing dinosaurs as having bird-like behaviour and start thinking of birds as behaving like dinosaurs. The latter group includes such members as Bambiraptor and Velociraptor, which share a more recent common ancestor with birds. Coelurosaurs are the theropod group that includes tyrannosaurs and dromaeosaurs.
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