Ancient link was part bird and part dinosaur

A “missing link” from the dinosaur era has shed new light on the evolution of birds.

The 127 million-yearold extinct bird had short, wide wings, and a combination of bird-like and dinosaur-like traits.

A whole fossil skeleton, with feathers, of the creature named Jinguofortis perplexus was discovered in north-east China.

Analysis showed that it represented a “pivotal point” in the evolution of flight after birds lost their long bony tail, but before they evolved a fan of tail feathers.

Jinguofortis – derived from the Chinese word “jinguo” meaning female warrior and the Latin word “fortis” meaning brave – had a jaw with small teeth similar to those of its dinosaur relatives. It also had a short bony tail and an unusual shoulder girdle.