// NATURE NEWS — SPAZIO & SCIENZA

Some Jurassic period birds were flightless

Published: 10/14/2026, 12:00 AM

Fernando E. Novas is at the Natural History “Félix de Azara” Foundation, Hidalgo 775, Buenos Aires, Argentina and the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina. Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar The many charismatic species of bird often capture people’s imagination and have driven interest in understanding the evolutionary history of this group. Writing in Nature, Xu et al.1 reveal unexpected body-form innovations during the early evolution and diversification of bird ancestors. Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout von Meyer, H. N. Jahrb. Mineral. Geogn. Geol. Petrefakten-Kunde 6, 678–679 (1861). Ostrom, J. H. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 8, 91–182 (1976). Agnolin F., Motta, M. J., Brissón Egli, F., Lo Coco, G. & Novas, F. E. Front. Earth Sci. 6, 252 (2018). Article PubMed Google Scholar