''Cerebavis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of bird that lived during the Middle Cenomanian (late Cretaceous) period, 99.6 - 93.5 Ma ago, and is known from a single brain mold found in the

Melovatskaya Formation The Melovatka or Melovatsskaya Formation is a Cenomanian geologic formation in Russia. Pterosaur fossils have been recovered from the formation. Description The two phosphorite horizons are separated in places by a yellowish sand interbed up t ...

of Volgograd Region in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

. Once considered most likely a member of the

Enantiornithes The Enantiornithes, also known as enantiornithines or enantiornitheans in literature, are a group of extinct avialans ("birds" in the broad sense), the most abundant and diverse group known from the Mesozoic era. Almost all retained teeth and cl ...

, it is notable for its unusual brain, which displays some unusual features, including a well-developed olfactory system and large cerebrum, suggesting it had a well-developed sense of smell. Although fossils seldom preserve deep-brain soft anatomy, the brain of ''Cerebavis cenomanica'' may show a relatively large parietal eye and pineal gland. In 2015, a reappraisal of the specimen concluded that it belonged to an ornithurine instead of an enantiornithean. In 2021, a redescription of ''

Borogovia ''Borogovia'' is a troodontid theropod dinosaur genus which lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, in what is now Mongolia. In 1971, a Polish-Mongolian expedition discovered the remains of a small theropod at the Altan Ula IV site, in the N ...

'' found it to be a possible scansoriopterygid, which is recovered at the base of the non-avialan clade

Oviraptorosauria Oviraptorosaurs ("egg thief lizards") are a group of feathered maniraptoran dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period of what are now Asia and North America. They are distinct for their characteristically short, beaked, parrot-like skulls, with or w ...

References

Late Cretaceous birds Prehistoric ornithurans Extinct animals of Russia Fossil taxa described in 2006 {{paleo-bird-stub