Das Problem der Entstehung der Vögel und ihrer frühen Evolution

Abstract

First discovered in 1860,Archaeopteryx has played a prominent role in discussions of avian origin especially during the 20th century. One of the most dramatic discoveries in modern ornithology involved the revelation of a completely new clade of Mesozoic birds, the enantiornithines, first described in 1981. Among the most spectacular of these early birds isConfuciusornis from the early Cretaceous of China. Enantiornithines are now known from every continent except Antarctica, and from the Lower to Upper Cretaceous. They were the predominant landbirds of the Mesozoic Era, and produced a vast adaptive radiation of varied morphological types.