Paleobiology of giant flightless birds / Палеобиология гигантских нелетающих птиц

Our knowledge of bird evolution was incomplete for a long time, especially regarding the Mesozoic, because of a relative lack of fossils for significant periods of this group’s history. Things have considerably improved over the last twenty years, in particular following the discovery of numerous Cretaceous birds, especially in China, but also in other regions of the world (South America, Europe, etc.). Contrary to what is sometimes claimed, bird fossils are not really rare and are even particularly abundant at localities with exceptional preservation (Lagerstätten), like, for example, the Lower Cretaceous lacustrine deposits in North-East China, or the Eocene Messel Pit, in Germany.  <...>