Paleontologists Unveil 121-Million-Year-Old Bird With 12-Inch Tail Feathers

5 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · May 27

Plumadraco bankoorum, described Wednesday in PLOS One, is a newly identified Cretaceous bird from Liaoning, China, measuring about 6 inches long but bearing two tail feathers roughly 12 inches each.
Alex Clark spotted the fossil among unanalyzed museum specimens in Shandong Tianyu Museum, and detailed imaging confirmed it as a new species with exceptionally well-preserved body, wing and tail feathers.
The tail plumes set a new length record for enantiornithines, an extinct but once-diverse bird group, making the specimen unusually important for studying early feather evolution.
Researchers argue the oversized feathers were likely ornamental courtship structures—probably in a male—suggesting birds were already evolving costly mate-attracting displays more than 120 million years ago.

Beyond a visual show, did the 'feather dragon's' tail create a unique sound to woo its mate?

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