Concornis
Concornis was a small, ancient bird that lived about 125 million years ago in what is now Spain. It was a great flyer, able to flap its wings fast and even do bounding flight like modern songbirds. It probably ate small insects and crustaceans near the water.23
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Fun facts
Concornis was about the size of a common starling, with a wingspan of 34 centimeters (13 inches) and a weight of about 70 grams (2.5 ounces).2
It had long legs and a large hallux (back toe), which means it could both perch on branches and walk on the ground, but was not a specialist at either.2
Concornis likely had teeth in its snout instead of a beak, like most other early birds of its group.2
It probably had a long, narrow tail with a single pair of ribbon-like feathers, not a fan of feathers like modern birds.2
A 2018 study found that Concornis could do bounding flight, flapping upward then diving with wings folded, similar to woodpeckers and songbirds today.2
Concornis is the oldest and most complete member of the family Avisauridae, a group of early birds.2
Its fossils were found in an ancient lake environment, so it probably lived like a shorebird, hunting for food along the water's edge.2
Most asked questions about Concornis
?Is Concornis a dinosaur?
Yes, Concornis is a type of bird that belongs to the dinosaur group. It is an avialan dinosaur, which means it is a very close relative of modern birds.2
?How big was Concornis?
Concornis was about the size of a common starling, with a wingspan of 34 centimeters (13 inches) and a weight of about 70 grams (2.5 ounces).2
?What did Concornis eat?
Concornis probably ate small invertebrates like insects or crustaceans. It lived near water and likely hunted for food along the shore.2
?Did Concornis have teeth?
Yes, Concornis almost certainly had teeth in its snout instead of a beak, like most other early birds of its group.2
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Concornis
- Named by
- Sanz and Buscalioni 19923
- Group
- Early birds
- Family / clade
- Enantiornithes3
- Classification
- Theropoda > Avialae3
- Age of the rocks
- 126 to 121 million years (Barremian)3
- Rock formations
- La Huérguina3
- Countries
- Spain3
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Concornis was named in 1992 by Spanish paleontologists José Luis Sanz and Ángela D. Buscalioni. The only known fossil was found at Las Hoyas, Spain, and is a nearly complete skeleton missing only the skull, neck, and tail tip.23
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure whether Concornis had an alula (a small feathered thumb that helps with slow flight), though it probably did because a related bird, Eoalulavis, had one.2
Where the facts come from
- palass.org (palass.org)
- Concornis (en.wikipedia.org)
- Concornis in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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