Asteriornis
Oldest undisputed modern bird from the Late Cretaceous.
Asteriornis is an extinct genus of bird from the Late Cretaceous of Belgium, known from a single species, Asteriornis maastrichtensis. It was a small, long-legged bird that lived near the coastline and co-existed with more primitive birds such as Ichthyornis. Asteriornis is one of the oldest-known birds irrefutably belonging to the group Neornithes, which encompasses all modern birds, and is possibly closely related to birds of the extant superorder Galloanserae such as chickens and ducks.
- scientific_name
- Asteriornis maastrichtensis
- time_period
- Late Cretaceous, ~66.8–66.7 million years ago
- location
- Maastricht Formation, Belgium
- classification
- Neornithes, possibly within or near Galloanserae
- known_for
- One of the oldest undisputed neornithean birds; nicknamed 'Wonderchicken'
Lore & Background
The genus name Asteriornis combines ornis (Greek for bird) with Asteria, a Greek goddess associated with falling stars, alluding to the Chicxulub impactor and to quails (galloanserans). The species name maastrichtensis honors the Maastricht Formation.
Reader's Guide
Asteriornis is significant because it is one of the oldest-known birds irrefutably belonging to Neornithes, the group that includes all modern birds. Its coexistence with non-neornithean birds such as Ichthyornis implies that competition was not a primary factor for the extinction of non-neornitheans. Small size, a terrestrial lifestyle, and a generalist diet have been inferred as ecological advantages possessed by early neornithes, and Asteriornis fulfills these qualities, supporting that hypothesis. Additionally, Asteriornis is evidence against the hypothesis that modern birds originated from southern continents, as its presence in Europe suggests modern birds may have been widespread in northern continents in their early evolution.
Did You Know?
- Asteriornis was nicknamed 'Wonderchicken' by the researchers who described it.
- Its skull possesses characteristics of both galliformes (chicken-like birds) and anseriformes (duck-like birds).
- Asteriornis lived less than a million years before the asteroid impact that caused the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.
More in Prehistoric Beasts 1-24
Elsewhere in the Prehistoric Beasts universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record