May 22, 2025
Castignovolucris by @theenatiornithebandwagon. A seriously underrated bird; one of the largest known enantiornitheans at turkey size.
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Castignovolucris by @theenatiornithebandwagon. A seriously underrated bird; one of the largest known enantiornitheans at turkey size.
Castignovolucris sebei Buffetaut et al., 2023 (new genus and species)
(Type coracoid [shoulder bone] of Castignovolucris sebei, from Buffetaut et al., 2023)
Meaning of name: Castignovolucris = Castigno valley bird [in Latin]; sebei = for Stéphane Sèbe [discoverer of the original fossil]
Age: Late Cretaceous (Campanian?)
Where found: Castigno valley, Occitanie, France
How much is known: A right coracoid (shoulder bone).
Notes: Castignovolucris was an enantiornithean, a lineage of bird-like, flying dinosaurs from the Cretaceous. Its coracoid was comparable in size to that of a Canada goose (Branta canadensis), making it one of the largest known enantiornitheans.
Reference: Buffetaut, E., D. Angst, and H. Tong. 2023. A new enantiornithine bird from Upper Cretaceous non-marine deposits at Villespassans (Hérault, southern France). Annales de Paléontologie 109: 102585. doi: 10.1016/j.annpal.2022.102585