Fossil Reveals Leaf-Eating Habits of the Earliest Known Birds
A remarkable new fossil discovery has revealed the earliest known bird that ate leaves! Scientists from the University of Southern California (USC) uncovered the fossilized remains of a two-inch long bird with a long, curved beak in South China. The bird lived during the Early Cretaceous period, between 131 million and 120 million years ago. This new species, named Eoconfuciusornis, is the earliest known bird to eat leaves, indicating that the ability to do so evolved much earlier than previously thought. According to the researchers, this discovery sheds light on the evolution of bird diets and how they adapted to the changing environment. Eoconfuciusornis also provides evidence of a more diverse diet among the earliest birds.
source: Phys.org