Vegavis is a genus of extinct bird that lived in Antarctica during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous. The type and only species is Vegavis iaai, representing one of the earliest known crown group birds. Initially described as member of Anseriformes within Galloanserae, the definitive taxonomic position of Vegavis was debated among paleontologists over two decades until the 2025 description of a nearly complete skull, discovered in 2011, supported its original classification.
Size (upper right) compared to contemporary birds, pterosaurs, and a human
The genus name, Vegavis, is a combination of the name of Vega Island and "avis", the Latin word for bird, while the species name, "iaai", is after the acronym for Instituto Antartico Argentino (IAA), the Argentine scientific expedition to Antarctica.[2] The holotype is held by the Museo de La Plata, Argentina.[3] The specimen, cataloged as MLP 93-I-3-1, was found in 1993 from the López de Bertodano Formation at Cape Lamb on Vega Island, Antarctica, and was first thought to be an indeterminate presbyornithid.[4] It was only described as a new species in 2005, because it consists of the very delicate remains of one bird embedded in a concretion, which had to be meticulously prepared for study. CT scans were utilized to gain a clearer picture of the bone structure without running danger of damaging or destroying the fossil.[2]
A second specimen, MACN-PV 19.748 (formerly MLP 93-I-3-2), was found beside the holotype specimen.[3] It was preserved in three dimensions, so CT scans were again utilized to visualize the intact syrinx of this specimen. The syrinx has an asymmetrical third segment, suggesting that Vegavis had two sources of sound in the neck and along with large soft-tissue resonating structures. This indicates that it was likely capable of honks as in ducks, geese, and other basalneognaths.[5] Other potential specimens have also been reported, including a distal tarsometatarsus (AMNH FARB 30913) tentatively identified as cf. Vegavis,[6] an isolated femur (SDSM 78247) referred to as Vegavis sp.,[7] and a synsacrum (MN 7832-V) referred to as cf. V. iaai.[8]
After 20 years since the formal naming of Vegavis, a nearly complete skull specimen (AMNH FARB 30899) discovered by Eric M. Roberts in 2011 from the López de Bertodano Formation was officially described in 2025. The morphology of this skull supports the placement of Vegavis within crown-group Aves, specifically as a member of the Anseriformes, and provides novel insight into its feeding ecology.[9]
Classification
Life restoration based on Angolín et al. (2017)
Vegavis was initially described as a member of the crown group Anseriformes within Galloanserae, indicating that some representatives of the modern bird groups lived in the Mesozoic.[2]
However, some paleontologists questioned its affinities to Anseriformes or Galloanserae,[10] with some classifying it as a stem-group bird within Ornithurae,[11] a crown group bird outside Galloanserae,[3][12] a sister taxon of the Neornithes or at the base of Neognathae with an unresolved position.[13] In contrast, Vegavis was recovered as a sister taxon of Anatidae or Anseriformes within Galloanserae based on phylogenetic analyses in 2024.[14][15] In a 2025 study which described a nearly complete skull of Vegavis, Torres et al. supported its placement within crown group Anseriformes, sister to Conflicto and Anas, based on their revised phylogenetic analyses.[9]
Agnolín et al. (2017) proposed the family Vegaviidae as stem-group Anseriformes containing Vegavis, Polarornis and several other extinct avian genera,[16] but the monophyly of this clade was questioned by subsequent studies.[10][9] The fragmentary Polarornis might possibly belong to this clade, but the reported specimens are poorly preserved to resolve its taxonomic affinities.[9] Worthy et al. (2017) also proposed the order "Vegaviiformes" to include Vegaviidae,[17] but this is a disused clade that has never been mentioned by other researchers except for the describers of Conflicto antarcticus.[18][19]
Paleobiology
Vegavis was a bird with a high metabolism, which allowed it to live at high latitudes in Antarctica. It also shows a degree of osteosclerosis, a condition shared with Polarornis. This different degrees of osteosclerosis could be related to variations in diving behaviour.[20]
↑ Roberts, E. M.; O'Connor, P. M.; Clarke, J. A.; Slotznick, S. P.; Placzek, C. J.; Tobin, T. S.; Hannaford, C.; Orr, T.; Jinnah, Z. A.; Claeson, K. M.; Salisbury, S.; Kirschvink, J. L.; Pirrie, D.; Lamanna, M. C. (2022). "New age constraints support a K/Pg boundary interval on Vega Island, Antarctica: Implications for latest Cretaceous vertebrates and paleoenvironments". GSA Bulletin. 135 (3–4): 867–885. doi:10.1130/B36422.1. S2CID250577048.
1 2 3 4 Torres, Christopher R.; Clarke, Julia A.; Groenke, Joseph R.; Lamanna, Matthew C.; MacPhee, Ross D. E.; Musser, Grace M.; Roberts, Eric M.; O’Connor, Patrick M. (2025). "Cretaceous Antarctic bird skull elucidates early avian ecological diversity". Nature. 638 (8049): 146–151. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08390-0. ISSN1476-4687.
1 2 Mayr, G.; De Pietri, V.L.; Scofield, R.P.; Worthy, T.H. (2018). "On the taxonomic composition and phylogenetic affinities of the recently proposed clade Vegaviidae Agnolín et al., 2017 ‒ neornithine birds from the Upper Cretaceous of the Southern Hemisphere)". Cretaceous Research. 86: 178–185. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2018.02.013. hdl:2328/37887. S2CID134876425.
↑ Álvarez-Herrera, G. P.; Rozadilla, S.; Agnolín, F. L.; Novas, F. E. (2024). "Jaw anatomy of Vegavis iaai (Clarke et al., 2005) from the Late Cretaceous Antarctica, and its phylogenetic implications". Geobios. 83: 11–20. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2023.03.004. S2CID259955013.
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