Baminornis is a landmark discovery and ranks among the most important bird fossils unearthed since the discovery

Scientists have unearthed in southeastern China the fossil of a quail-sized bird that lived about 150 million years ago during the Jurassic Period and possessed surprisingly modern traits, a discovery that rewrites the history of avian evolution.

Researchers have discovered a 149-million-year-old bird fossil in southeastern China, featuring a short tail structure that could rewrite the evolutionary history of birds. As detailed in a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature,

This discovery strengthens the idea that birds had already begun to diversify by the late Jurassic period. The presence of Baminornis zhenghensis suggests that key bird features, such as shorter tails, evolved much earlier than previously believed.