- Source: Navaornis
Navaornis is an extinct genus of enantiornithine birds from the Late Cretaceous Adamantina Formation of Brazil. The genus contains a single species, N. hestiae, known from a well preserved skull and skeleton.
Discovery and naming
The Navaornis fossil material was discovered in 2016 in sediments of the Adamantina Formation ('William's Quarry' bonebed, Bauru Group) in São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil. The holotype specimen comprises a complete skull with an associated postcranial skeleton. A single basicranium described in 2022 was also referred to Navaornis based on its similarities with the holotype.
In 2024, Chiappe et al. described Navaornis hestiae as a new genus and species of enantiornithine birds based on these fossil remains. The generic name, Navaornis, combines "Nava"—honoring William Nava, the discoverer of the holotype and type locality—with the Greek word "ornis", meaning "bird". The specific name, hestiae, references the Greek goddess Hestia, who is considered to be both the oldest and youngest Olympian—similar to the archaic phylogenetic position of Navaornis combined with its modern skull morphology.
