''Castignovolucris'' (meaning "Castigno valley bird") is an extinct genus of enantornithe

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

from the

Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...

"continental red clays" of the Argiles et Grès à Reptiles Formation of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It contains a single species, ''C. sebei'', which was named and described in 2023.

Discovery and naming

The holotype, MC-VCZ2-6, a right

coracoid A coracoid is a paired bone which is part of the shoulder assembly in all vertebrates except therian mammals (marsupials and placentals). In therian mammals (including humans), a coracoid process is present as part of the scapula, but this is n ...

, was discovered sometime around the 1990s near

Villespassans Villespassans is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Geography Climate Villespassans has a mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification ''Csa''). The average annual temperature in Villespa ...

by Stéphane Sèbe and was donated to the Musée de Cruzy. ''Castignovolucris sebei'' was named and described by Buffetaut ''et al.'' (2023).

Description

''Castignovolucris'' was estimated to have a wingspan of around and may have been long when fully grown, making it one of the largest known enantiornitheans to date.

Paleobiology

''Castignovolucris'' would have been found on the Ibero-Armorican island in what is today

Occitania Occitania is the historical region in Southern Europe where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompasses much of the southern third of France (except ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q119129025 Fossil taxa described in 2023 Enantiornithes Prehistoric bird genera