According to scientists, an ancient bird could come up with new information regarding life during the age of dinosaurs. It is believed the bird existed in the southern hemisphere 115 million years ago.

The bird had a tail resembling a ribbon; it is a characteristic, which is thought to be present only in some species of the northern hemisphere. The Cretaceous bird’s fossils were found in modern-day Brazil; however, during that time, the landmasses were assembled into a pair of supercontinents, called Laurasia, North America and Asia, and Gondwana, consisting of South America.

The bird is found to be nearly 5.5 inches long; no genus and species names have been given to the long-extinct bird, though it is definitely from the group Enantiornithes. This classification of birds consists of a diverse collection of over 50 species of birds, which lived next to some of the most flourishing dinosaurs of the time.

According to some researchers, finding an avian with a ribbon-like tail could greatly influence theories of evolution during this time period. Feathers that resemble ribbon are not observed in modern birds; therefore, the fossil becomes more important for paleontologists and ornithologists.

According to Richard Prum, an ornithology professor from Yale University not involved with the study, "These are weird feathers that occur in extinct birds. But they're on a separate line. They have nothing to do with modern feathers. It's fascinating".

The bird that formed the fossil was not having a well-developed skeleton; its eyes were comparatively large for its head and its characteristics show that the individual was a youngster.