Q&A: Ancient Bird Species Found in China's Liaoning Had Extra-Long Tail Feathers for Elaborate Courtship
Researchers say the robin-sized bird used dark, specialized tail feathers in courtship displays, and the fossil sets a proportional tail-feather record.
8 Articles
8 Articles
Q&A: Ancient bird species found in China's Liaoning had extra-long tail feathers for elaborate courtship
A recently discovered extinct bird from the early Cretaceous Period (approximately 121 million years ago) may have waggled its long tail feathers to attract mates, according to a study published May 27, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Alexander Clark of the University of Chicago and colleagues. Clark shares more details about his team's findings in the following Q&A.
Scientists Found a 121-Million-Year-Old Bird That Was Basically Peacocking Before Peacocking Existed
The term “peacocking” caught on over the last couple of decades as one of those pickup-artist concepts that’s just as embarrassing to explain as it is to do. Some guy walks into a bar wearing a neon zebra-print jacket and a fur hat so people notice him. Intrigued by this alien freak who just walked in, hoping they can be the lucky one who gets to learn who this mysterious creature truly is, deep down in their soul, the theory goes that some will…
121 million years ago, a bird of the size of a hake dragged behind it a tail twice as long as its body — only to seduce the females. This exceptional fossil, named Plumadraco bankoorum, has just been described in PLOS One. Its tail feathers are among the longest ever discovered in [...]
Peacocks show off their feathers, birds of paradise do crazy dances, and ducks fall head over heels for brightly colored beaks. For millions of years, birds have been doing their utmost to impress a partner. New fossil research shows that extravagant adornments are much older than previously thought. Meet a prehistoric bird and its bizarre […] More science? Read the latest articles on Scientias.nl.
Recognise it: you are also fascinated by those documentaries where a bird makes a fool of itself to conquer a female. For that same little number was already mounted by birds 121 million years ago, and a newly discovered fossil in China proves it. An international team, led by the Field Museum and the University of Chicago, has just presented in the magazine PLOS One the remains of the Bankoorum Penadracus, an authentic feathered dragon that use…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
