''Cerebavis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of bird that lived during the Middle Cenomanian (late Cretaceous) period, 99.6 - 93.5 Ma ago, and is known from a single brain mold found in the

Melovatskaya Formation The Melovatka or Melovatsskaya Formation is a Cenomanian geologic formation in Russia. Pterosaur fossils have been recovered from the formation. Description The two phosphorite horizons are separated in places by a yellowish sand interbed up t ...

Volgograd Region Volgograd Oblast (russian: Волгогра́дская о́бласть, ''Volgogradskaya oblast'') is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia, located in the Volga region of Southern Russia. Its administrative center is Volgograd. The populatio ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. Once considered most likely a member of the

Enantiornithes The Enantiornithes, also known as enantiornithines or enantiornitheans in literature, are a group of extinct avialans ("birds" in the broad sense), the most abundant and diverse group known from the Mesozoic era. Almost all retained teeth and cla ...

, it is notable for its unusual brain, which displays some unusual features, including a well-developed olfactory system and large cerebrum, suggesting it had a well-developed sense of smell. Although fossils seldom preserve deep-brain soft anatomy, the brain of ''Cerebavis cenomanica'' may show a relatively large parietal eye and pineal gland. In 2015, a reappraisal of the specimen concluded that it belonged to an

ornithurine Ornithurae (meaning "bird tails" in Greek) is a natural group which includes the common ancestor of ''Ichthyornis'', ''Hesperornis'', and all modern birds as well as all other descendants of that common ancestor. Classification Ernst Haeckel coi ...

instead of an enantiornithean. In 2021, a redescription of ''

Borogovia ''Borogovia'' is a troodontid theropod dinosaur genus which lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, in what is now Mongolia. In 1971, a Polish-Mongolian expedition discovered the remains of a small theropod at the Altan Ula IV site, in the N ...

'' found it to be a possible

scansoriopterygid Scansoriopterygidae (meaning "climbing wings") is an extinct family of climbing and gliding maniraptoran dinosaurs. Scansoriopterygids are known from five well-preserved fossils, representing four species, unearthed in the Tiaojishan Formation fo ...

, which is recovered at the base of the non-avialan clade

Oviraptorosauria Oviraptorosaurs ("egg thief lizards") are a group of feathered maniraptoran dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period of what are now Asia and North America. They are distinct for their characteristically short, beaked, parrot-like skulls, with or wit ...

References

Late Cretaceous birds Prehistoric ornithurans Extinct animals of Russia Fossil taxa described in 2006 {{paleo-bird-stub