Vegavis

Name: Vegavis ‭(‬Vega bird‭ ‬-‭ ‬named after Vega Island‭)‬.
Phonetic: Vay-gah-viss.
Named By: J.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Clarke,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Tambussi,‭ ‬J.‭ ‬I.‭ ‬Noriega,‭ ‬G.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Erickson‭ & ‬R.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Ketcham‭ ‬-‭ ‬2005.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Aves,‭ ‬Anseriformes,‭ ‬Anatoidea.
Species: V.‭ ‬iaai‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Uncertain.
Size: About‭ ‬60‭ ‬centimetres long.
Known locations: Antarctica,‭ ‬Vega Island‭ ‬-‭ ‬López de Bertodano Formation.
Time period: Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Single specimen.

       Vegavis is a close relative of modern ducks and geese,‭ ‬but probably not a direct ancestor.‭ ‬Still,‭ ‬the discovery of Vegavis was still a very important and exciting discovery for those interested in the evolution of birds,‭ ‬as it is a clear sign that by at least the end of the Maastrichtian period of the Cretaceous,‭ ‬birds resembling some modern forms were already living alongside the dinosaurs.

Further reading
-‭ ‬Definitive fossil evidence for the extant avian radiation in the Cretaceous.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Nature,‭ ‬433:‭ ‬305-308.‭ ‬-‭ ‬J.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Clarke,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Tambussi,‭ ‬J.‭ ‬I.‭ ‬Noriega,‭ ‬G.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Erickson‭ & ‬R.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Ketcham‭ ‬-‭ ‬2005.
- Fossil evidence of the avian vocal organ from the Mesozoic. - Nature. 538 (7626): 502–505. - J. A. Clarke, S. Chatterjee, Z. Li, T. Riede, F. Agnolin, F. Goller, M. P./ Isasi, D. R. Martinioni, F. J. Mussel & F. E. Novas - 2016.
- 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. - Gerald Mayr, Vanesa L.De Pietri, R. Paul Scofield, Trevor H. Worthy - 2018.
- Bone microstructure of Vegavis IAAI (Aves, Anseriformes) from the Upper Cretaceous of Vega Island, Antarctic Peninsula. - Historical Biology. 31 (2): 163–167. - Jordi Alexis Garcia, Federico L. Agnolín & Fernando Novas - 2019.

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