Iberomesornis

Iberomesornis is a genus of extinct bird that lived in the early Cretaceous period, about 125 million years ago, in what is now Spain.
It is known for being one of the most primitive members of the group Enantiornithes, which were the most diverse and widespread birds of the Mesozoic era.
Iberomesornis had a short tail that ended in a pygostyle, a bone that supports the tail feathers.
This feature is also seen in modern birds, but not in other early birds like Archaeopteryx.
Iberomesornis also had a keeled sternum, a long coracoid and scapula, and a thin furcula, which indicate that it had well-developed flight muscles, active lung ventilation, and endothermy.
However, Iberomesornis also had some primitive features, such as a single claw on each wing and a lack of ossified uncinate processes on the ribs.
The skull and wings of Iberomesornis are not known, so its diet and flight capabilities are uncertain.
It may have hunted insects and other small animals near lakes and forests.
Iberomesornis was named by José Luis Sanz and José Fernando Bonaparte in 1992, based on a partial skeleton found in Las Hoyas, Cuenca Province, Spain.
The name means "Iberian intermediate bird", because it shows a transitional stage between the most basal and the modern birds.

The Iberomesornis was a small bird that lived in the Early Cretaceous period, about 125 million years ago, in what is now Spain.
The Iberomesornis was discovered in 1985 by Armando Díaz Romeral in the Las Hoyas site, a fossil-rich area that preserves a lake ecosystem surrounded by a forest.
The climate was warm with a dry season.
The Iberomesornis probably fed on insects and other small animals, either catching them in the air or from the ground or water surface.
It may have preferred to live near the lake, where it could find more food and water.

The Iberomesornis was a small bird that lived in the Early Cretaceous period, about 125 million years ago, in what is now Spain.

It belonged to the group of enantiornithine birds, which had teeth and claws on their wings.

The Iberomesornis had a short tail that ended in a pygostyle, a bone that supports the tail feathers.

It also had a keeled sternum, a long coracoid, and a thin furcula, which indicate that it had strong flight muscles and could breathe well during flight.

Its skull and wings are not known, but it probably had a beak and feathers like other birds.

It may have eaten insects and other small animals that it caught in the air or on the ground.