This amber has been described as the 'first definitive fossil evidence of juvenile molting.'
Feathers, on the other hand, are complicated structures that cannot be repaired, which is why they molt.
While other bird species lose all of their feathers at once and regenerate within a few weeks, the authors emphasize that this is unusual and is normally found in non-avian aquatic birds such as ducks.The researchers examined the molting process in archaic birds in two recent studies. This was determined based on their capacity to make feathers as well as their dependency on their parents. Some newborn birds, known as Altricial birds, hatch naked and require extensive parental care before they can be left alone. Precocial species, on the other hand, are born with feathers and grow up on their own. Despite this, all newborn birds go through molts, which take a lot of energy.“This specimen shows a totally bizarre combination of precocial and altricial characteristics.
Enantiornithines were doomed because the infant bird needed to stay warm while simultaneously going through a rapid molting phase – with no support at hand.
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