Similar to falcons

Birds of prey may have already been circling above dinosaurs

Flying dinosaurs glided through the air 66 million years ago, but they were not the only animals to populate the skies. Birds of prey-like creatures were probably already striking prey when dinosaurs still ruled the earth.

Some were about the size of falcons and had strong, raptor-like feet, writes a research team in the scientific journal "Plos One". When dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops were still alive, the ancestors of today's birds were already flying through the air.

Their relatives included the Enantiornithes, which populated almost the entire world at that time.

Fossilized Enantiornithes eggs(Bild: AFP)

Like the dinosaurs, however, they became extinct after the impact of an asteroid around 66 million years ago. The remains of three such birds of two species from the late Cretaceous period have now been scientifically described. According to the team led by Alexander Clark from the University of Chicago, their bones indicate strong leg muscles. 

Based on evidence in their foot bones, we assume that these birds were able to catch and carry prey, much like a modern falcon or owl does.

Alexander Clark

It is unclear exactly what the birds looked like: so far only foot bones have been found. Nevertheless, a lot can already be deduced from this, Clark explained. "Every angle and every bump on a bone can tell us something about where the muscles or tendons were attached and how big they were." A specific muscle attachment point is similar to that of falcons or owls.

The fossils were found in the US state of Montana, in a layer 66 to 68 million years old, i.e. from a time shortly before the extinction of the dinosaurs. The species were given the names Magnusavis ekalakaensis and Avisaurus darwini.