Ancient Bird Fossil Sheds Light on Evolution of Avian Intelligence

The discovery of Navaornis hestiae in Brazil provides crucial insights into the development of modern bird brains.

Navaornis hestiae, an 80-million-year-old fossil discovered in Brazil, offers a rare glimpse into the evolution of bird brains.
Researchers used advanced micro-CT scanning to digitally reconstruct the bird's brain, revealing its intermediate structure between Archaeopteryx and modern birds.
The fossil shows a larger cerebrum than Archaeopteryx, indicating more advanced cognitive abilities but lacking complex flight-control mechanisms of modern birds.
The find fills a 70-million-year gap in understanding bird brain evolution, crucial for tracing the development of avian intelligence.
This discovery is considered a pivotal piece in solving the mystery of how unique bird brains and intelligence evolved over millions of years.