Australia: The Land Where Time Began

A biography of the Australian continent 

It was about the size of a crow. The main difference between it and Archaeopteryx was mainly in lacking a long, reptilian tail and its beak was toothless. It had a pygostyle (shortened tail bone) that in modern birds assists in maneuvering the tail while flying separately from the legs. A higher degree of specialisation of the wrist bones, that were partially fused, than in Archaeopteryx, allowed the wings to be designed more strongly. Some specimens had long tail feathers while others didn't, leading to the suggestion that sexual dimorphism existed, the males having the long feathers for courtship displays. It has recently been found that they probably had leg feathers.

It appears to have been a strong flyer, and the large numbers of individuals found in the deposits suggest it may have formed large flocks.

Sources & Further reading

• Feathered Dinosaurs: the Origin of Birds, John Long and Peter Schuten, CSIRO Publishing

Links

• Dinodata