enantiornithine

plural enantiornithines

1. biologyAny of an extinct group of protobirds of the Enantiornithes.

   The lineage that led to all living birds is known as the ornithuromorphs. But it was the other branch, called the enantiornithines, that dominated the skies for tens of millions of years.

   2023 June 3, Carl Zimmer, “How Did Birds First Take Off?”, in The New York Times

   1 more example

   The enantiornithines were rather diverse in form and size, so it is not clear if Junornis was typical or unusual but it does mean that this form of flight was one of a number being explored by early birds.

   2017 October 25, Dave Hone, The Guardian

   Synonyms: enantiornithean

comparative more enantiornithine · superlative most enantiornithine

1. Pertaining to the Enantiornithes.

   But enantiornithine birds seem to have developed feathers in a radically different way, as Dr. O’Connor and her colleagues argued in a recent study. They hatched with bare bodies but with fully feathered wings.

   2023 June 3, Carl Zimmer, “How Did Birds First Take Off?”, in The New York Times