When the first fossil of the blue-jay-sized Longipteryx chaoyangensis was found in 2020, paleontologists thought its elongated skull with an extended, toothed beak suggested it ate fish.
But a more recent look inside a specimen’s stomach showed the bird — which lived 120 million years ago in what’s now northeastern China — fed on fruit-like plants, according to a report in Current Biology.
Comparing Longipteryx to Other Ancient Birds
Paleontologists initially compared the ancient bird to the contemporary kingfisher because of its similarly-shaped skull and beak, and diet of small fish. That resemblance turned out to be a red herring.
