Cerebavis

brain bird

• cerebrum · Latin · brain
• avis · Latin · bird

The name combines the Latin words for "brain" and "bird". It was chosen because the genus is known only from a natural brain endocast (a mineral cast of the inside of the braincase). The describers interpreted this endocast as the brain of an early bird.

Named by

Kurochkin and Saveliev

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Cenomanian

Found in

Melovatka, Volgograd Oblast, Russia

The only known species is Cerebavis cenomanica, which is based on a single brain endocast. Its classification is uncertain. It was described as a bird, and birds are avian dinosaurs. Its avian affinities have been questioned, though, and it may be a non-avian theropod or another kind of animal. The year of naming and some other details are not given here because I'm not certain of them.