Elektorornis

Elektorornis is the first bird species ever described from fossils found in Burmese amber.1

Its third toe was 20% longer than its whole foot bone (tarsometatarsus). No other known bird, alive or extinct, has such a long toe compared to its foot.2

This bird was smaller than a sparrow. It was an enantiornithine, a group of early birds that lived alongside dinosaurs.12

The only known fossil of Elektorornis is a partial right leg and some wing feathers, all preserved in a piece of amber.12

Elektorornis had big, curved claws and a long hallux (back toe) that helped it grip branches. It was an arboreal bird, meaning it lived in trees.2

Scientists think Elektorornis may have had a toothless beak to pry into wood, like a woodpecker, to reach insects.1