Vegavis skull tests a Cretaceous crown-bird hypothesis
A nearly complete Antarctic skull supplies direct anatomy and a new combined topology, while older conflicting placements remain visible.
Represented range69.2–68.4 Ma
RegionsVega Island, Antarctica
CladesVegavis · Neornithes · Anseriformes
Claim ledger
topology · medium
The 69.2–68.4 Ma skull AMNH FARB 30899 supports placement of Vegavis among crown waterfowl in the 2025 combined analysis, but earlier analyses recovered stem-anatid, stem-anseriform or outside-Aves positions, so crown membership remains a scoped hypothesis.