Synthetic analysis of trophic diversity and evolution in Enantiornithes with new insights from Bohaiornithidae

• DOI: 10.7554/elife.89871
• Publication Date: 2023-09-12T19:38:19Z
• Authors: Case Vincent Miller; Jen A Bright; Xiaoli Wang; Xiaoting Zheng; Michael Pittman
• Keywords: Guild; Morphometrics; Claw

Enantiornithines were the dominant birds of Mesozoic, but understanding their diet is still tenuous. We introduce new data on enantiornithine family Bohaiornithidae, famous for large size and powerfully built teeth claws. In tandem with previously published data, we comment breadth ecology potential patterns in which it evolved. Body mass, jaw mechanical advantage, finite element analysis jaw, traditional morphometrics claws skull are compared between bohaiornithids living birds. find to be more ecologically diverse than any other family: Bohaiornis Parabohaiornis similar plant-eating birds; Longusunguis resembles raptorial carnivores; Zhouornis both fruit-eating generalist feeders; Shenqiornis Sulcavis plausibly ate fish, plants, or a mix both. predict ancestral bird have been wide variety foods. However, quantitative from across tree needed refine this prediction. By Early Cretaceous, had diversified into ecological niches like crown after K-Pg extinction, adding evidence that traits unique cannot completely explain success.