Birds are exceptionally diverse in appearance, ecology, and behavior today, but they have a rich and complex evolutionary history beyond that of their modern radiation. Appearing during the Jurassic, more than 160 million years ago, birds took to the skies and evolved into a plethora of forms during the Age of the Dinosaurs. In this talk, palaeontologist Juan Benito will discuss the origins of the group and their evolution from other feathered dinosaurs up to the origins of modern birds in the Late Cretaceous, as well as recent research insights into crucial aspects of early bird evolution, including how a single lineage of birds managed to make it through the Mass Extinction that ended the reign of the non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago.

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE. WAS 19/04. NOW 13/04. Meet up time is 10am at the main car park in Keyhaven (pay & display) SZ306914 Site is well known for waders, wildfowl and spring migrants arriving to the UK. Walking routes are mostly flat but can be uneven. Contact: outings@oos.org.uk