Big Bird

"A spectacularly preserved new Chinese fossil reveals a previously unseen stage in the early evolution of flight.

Called Eoconfuciusornis, it is a missing link between the oldest known bird, Archaeopteryx, and more advanced birds that have been discovered in the Yixian geological formation in China.

The Yixian deposits have yielded remarkably diverse fauna that have revolutionised avian palaeontology, but they are limited to a period from 125 to 120 million years ago – too narrow a time span to show much evidence of evolution within bird lineages."

more at newscientist.com ...