Gettyia gloriae
This Sunday's doodle was an exercise in birds! Gettyia is part of a clade of Enantiornithes called the Avisauridae which appear to have raptorial adaptations, being the late Cretaceous equivalent of hawks. Compared to its relatives Avisaurus and Mirarce, Gettyia is much smaller, and less well represented, being known only from a right tarsometatarsus. But the tubercle for the attachment of the tibialis cranialis muscle is much further distal than in other enantiornithes and slightly moreso than it's larger relatives. This is an adaptation for exerting grip pressure when carrying prey (as modeled for Avisaurus). I imagine this little guy being more like a kestrel or small owl, where its relatives were more eagle-like.











