Cretaceous avian remains from Patagonia shed new light on the early radiation of birds

Abstract

The anatomy of a new articulated enantiornithine bird skeleton from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia clearly indicates a capacity for powered flight, approaching that of modern birds. Enantiornithines possess some of the synapomorphies of the Ornithurae, although they retain plesiomorphic states for many other characters, mainly in the hind limb. Such a mosaic character combination suggests a sister-group relationship between Enantiornithes and Ornithurae. Derived features of the pectoral girdle are here considered as diagnostic for a major avian clade, the Ornithopectae, comprising all known birds other than Archaeopteryx. The combination of derived and primitive traits in the fore and hind limbs and their girdles in early ornithopectines reflects mosaic evolution, with flight-related modifications of the fore limb and pectoral girdle preceding those in the hind limb and pelvic girdle.