Falcatakely

sickle-shaped hat (or head ornament)

• falcata · Latin · sickle-shaped
• takely · Malagasy · hat / head ornament

The name combines the Latin word for "sickle-shaped" with a Malagasy word for a hat or head ornament. It refers to the long, tall, sickle-shaped (falcate) facial region of the skull, which looks like a crest or hat on the face. It is an early bird, an enantiornithine, with an unusually long, deep beak for its group.

Named by

O'Connor et al.

Year named

2020

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

Maevarano Formation, Mahajanga Basin, northwestern Madagascar

Valid genus; the type species is Falcatakely forsteri. It is an enantiornithine avialan (an early bird), so it is a dinosaur in the broad sense but not a non-avian dinosaur. The exact Malagasy gloss of "takely" is given with moderate confidence.