Eoalulavis
EE-oh-AL-yoo-lay-vis /ˌiːoʊˌæljuːˈleɪvɪs/
Accepted genus
dawn alula bird
- eo · Greek · dawn
- alula · Latin · little wing (the 'bastard wing' feather group)
- avis · Latin · bird
The name means "dawn alula bird". It was chosen because the type specimen preserves an alula, or "bastard wing", a small group of feathers on the first digit that helps a bird control its flight at slow speeds. It was the oldest known fossil record of an alula when it was described.
- Named by
- Sanz et al.
- Year named
- 1996
- Period
- Early Cretaceous
- Stage
- Barremian
- Found in
- La Huérguina Formation (Las Hoyas), Cuenca, Spain
A small enantiornithine bird, so an avian dinosaur in the broad sense. The type species is Eoalulavis hoyasi.