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About Confuciusornis:
One of a series of spectacular Chinese fossil discoveries made over the past 20 or so years, Confuciusornis was a true find: the very first prehistoric bird with a true beak. Unlike other flying creatures of its era, Confuciusornis had no teeth--which, along with its feathers and curved claws suited for sitting high up in trees, makes it one of the most unmistakably birdlike creatures of the Cretaceous period.
However, just because Confuciusornis looked like a modern bird doesn't mean it's the great-great-grandfather (or grandmother) of every pigeon, eagle and owl living today. There's no reason primitive flying reptiles couldn't have independently evolved birdlike characteristics such as feathers and beaks--so the Confucius Bird may well have a been a striking "dead end" in avian evolution. (In a new development, researchers have determined--based on an analysis of preserved pigment cells--that the feathers of Confuciusornis were arranged in a mottled pattern of black, brown and white patches, a bit like a tabby cat.)
