The discovery of a 69-million-year-old bird fossil is reshaping our understanding of avian evolution.

The skull exhibits a long, pointed beak and a brain shape unique among all known birds previously discovered from the ...

For instance, the study noted that the skull preserves traces of a slender, pointed beak powered by enhanced jaw muscles, a feature that is more like diving birds than other known waterfowl.

For instance, the study noted that the skull preserves traces of a slender, pointed beak powered by enhanced jaw muscles, a feature that is more like diving birds than other known waterfowl.

Previous Vegavis fossil specimens also lacked a complete skull, said study coauthor Patrick O’Connor, a professor of anatomical sciences at Ohio University. Skulls are where the most characteristic ...