Vegavis

Vegavis was a genus of extinct birds that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 66.5 million years ago.
They are considered to be closely related to modern ducks and geese, but not their direct ancestors.

Vegavis fossils were found on Vega Island, a small island near the Antarctic Peninsula.
Vega Island is part of the James Ross Island group, which lies off the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The island is named after the Swedish explorer Otto Nordenskjöld's ship Vega, which was used for his Antarctic expedition in 1901-1904.

The climate of Vega Island during the Late Cretaceous was much warmer than today, as Antarctica was still connected to South America and Australia by land bridges.
The island was covered by forests and wetlands, and was home to a diverse fauna of dinosaurs, pterosaurs, marine reptiles, and birds.
Vegavis was one of the few birds that could survive the harsh winters of Antarctica, as it had a high metabolism and a degree of osteosclerosis, a condition that increases the density of the bones and helps with diving.
Vegavis probably fed on fish and other aquatic animals, using its specialized syrinx to produce honking sounds like modern anseriforms.

Vegavis is an important fossil for understanding the evolution of modern birds, as it shows that some of the major groups of birds had already diversified before the end-Cretaceous mass extinction that wiped out most of the dinosaurs.
Vegavis is also evidence of the role of Gondwana, the ancient southern supercontinent, in the origin and diversification of birds.

Vegavis was a genus of extinct bird that lived in Antarctica about 66 million years ago.

It was closely related to modern ducks and geese, but not their direct ancestor.

Vegavis had a high metabolism and a degree of osteosclerosis, which may have helped it dive in cold waters.

It also had a complex syrinx, the organ that produces bird sounds, and could probably honk like some of its living relatives.

Vegavis is known from two fossil specimens found on Vega Island, off the Antarctic Peninsula.

The first specimen was a partial skeleton without a skull, and the second was a three-dimensional fossil that preserved the syrinx.

Both specimens were studied using CT scans to reveal the details of their bone structure.

Vegavis was about the size of a small duck, and had long and slender wings, a short tail, and webbed feet.

It probably ate fish and other aquatic animals.

Vegavis is one of the oldest known representatives of the group that includes ducks, geese, and swans.

Its discovery shows that some of the major groups of modern birds had already diversified before the mass extinction that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs.

Vegavis was a survivor of a harsh and changing environment, and a witness to the end of an era.