Sign in

Lizzy Steell

@lizzysteell.bsky.social
132 followers 109 following 34 posts

Birds 🦜 Passerines 🐦 Fossils 🦴 Macroevolution Post-doc at Girton College and Cambridge University (Sarah Woodhead Research Fellow in Earth Science)

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Dr Paul M.J. Burke @palaeoburke.bsky.social · 10h
Introducing Herugavialis cairensis. A new genus of fossil gavialoid crocodylian from the Middle Eocene of Egypt. Recovered from the Mokattam Formation, Herugavialis was found from the same rocks used to build the Great Sphinx and pyramids of Egypt. Read here: doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
0158
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I am finally processing some photos from a long trip last year so I might share the odd cute little guy here 🐦‍⬛ Andean Emerald, July 2025, Reserva Sutú, Colombia #birding #birdphotography #hummingbird
An Andean Emerald hummingbird sits on a thin branch with green moss hanging off it. The bird has a bright white belly and throat, a long straight beak, tiny feet, beady black eyes, an indigo iridescent face and crown, and a bright shiny emerald head and neck.
0396
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Andrej Spiridonov @andrejpaleo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Just a reminder, that birds had 1.6 times more history before the K-Pg impact than the duration of the Cenozoic Era. My bet would be that we are severely underestimating Mesozoic diversity of birds (stem or crown). www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.... 🧪⚒️ #Geology #EvoBio #Paleobio
Simplified summary time-scaled tree of the phylogenetic relationships of Mesozoic Avialae. All taxa except Neornithes areextinct; thicker boxes mark the temporal range of each taxon recorded by their fossil record; shaded areas indicate regions ofparticular phylogenetic uncertainty. Fading branches indicate uncertain placement and phylogenetic disconnect between Early andLate Cretaceous taxa. Divergence times largely based on those from M. Wang et al. (2021).
0316
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Guillermo Navalón @gnavalon.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Quite an updated and deep outlook on the main problems (and potential solutions!) in avian phylogenetics, past and present, stem and crown! Also very well written & nice to read, congrats you both (J. Benito is not in bluesky yet)!
055
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Alberta Claw @albertonykus.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
New review of what we know and don't know about the evolutionary history of birds and their close fossil relatives! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... 🪶🧪 (📷Benito & @lizzysteell.bsky.social)
Diagram showing the evolutionary relationships and geologic ages of birds and closely related bird-like dinosaurs.
07540
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Thank you very much to @tweetisaurus.bsky.social and Imran Rahman at the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology for inviting us to write the review for their special collection! We had great fun thinking of Big Bird Questions 💬 🦩
040
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
🚨 New bird paper! 🚨 Take a look at our review paper that Juan Benito and I put together about avian systematics and the bird fossil record along with what we think are important future directions in the field 🐦 🦴 🦜🦅🦤 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
A bird’s eye view of the fossil record: perspectives on avian systematics
Recent decades have witnessed an unprecedented rise in avian fossil discoveries that directly inform our understanding of bird origins and evolution, the stepwise assemblage of the avian body plan,...
15825
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
The latest ish (Aug 2026) of Historical Biology has arrived. It's another monster, 30 mm thick. Highlights for me include Steell et al. on the possible Miocene bowerbird Aeviperditus and Churchill et al. on new malleodectids. Tons of other stuff. Also includes my review of Mark Witton's King Tyrant.
Cover of Aug 2026 Historical Biology. Part of first page of Steell et al. technical paper on possible Miocene bowerbird. Part of first page of Churchill et al. technical paper on new malleodectid marsupials. Parts of pages of Darren Naish review of Mark Witton book King Tyrant.
0366
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Manuel Hernández Fernández @hdezfdez.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Lower speciation, not higher extinction, drove African megaherbivore diversity collapse doi.org/10.1038/s414... by @singerstone.bsky.social et al.
Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla, Proboscidea, Macroevolution, Neogene, Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, Holocene, aridification, global climate change
095
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
This is soooooo cool! 🐦 🎶 Something that always made me wonder when birding in a tropical place is how different the bird songs sound to temperate places. Amazing work!
052
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Great paper! A huge amount of effort went into the makings of this awesome work on passerine bird skeletal evolution, congrats everyone 🐦
032
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
I'm very happy to see passerines in the macroevolutionary spotlight! Great work!! 🥳
111
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Phil Mannion @pdmannion.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
If you've ever wondered what the inside of a crocodile's skull looks like, wonder no more! Here are 43 of them in our new paper led by @palaeoburke.bsky.social in which we evaluate endocranial anatomy across extant + fossil crocodylians 🐊: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @es-ucl.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Computed tomography reveals the endocranial anatomy of Crocodylia: Implications for phylogenetic relationships and ecomorphological convergence across Crocodylomorpha
The evaluation of the endocranial anatomy of 43 crocodylian species reveals several differences, including variation in the curvature of the encephalic endocast, the size of the endosseous labyrinth ...
43720
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Steve Brusatte @stevebrusatte.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Why were the arms of T. rex so tiny? Literally the size of human arms, but on a bus-sized animal. Insane! Many of us have had ideas over the years & I'm part of a project led by @funstonpaleo.bsky.social But first, my thoughts on a new study for @iflscience.com www.iflscience.com/t-rex-had-hu...
iflscience.com
T. Rex Had "Human-Sized Arms On A Bus-Sized Animal" – Now We Have The Best Explanation Yet For Why
The idea that T. rex's tiny arms were a consequence of its large, powerful skull isn't new – but a study of 85 theropod species pulls together some convincing numbers to back up the claim.
1278
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Girton College, University of Cambridge @girtoncollege.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
🦖 Research co-authored by Girton Fellow Dr Elizabeth Steell has found that smaller arms in several carnivorous dinosaur groups were closely linked to the development of large, powerful skulls. 🎧 Listen on the BBC Today Programme (starts at 2h9m) www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002wjl9
153
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Richard Butler @richardjbutler.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Come join us! We have a one-year, part-time, education-focussed Assistant Professor post in Palaeobiology. Deadline for applications is 2nd June 2026. Please see more at the below link: edzz.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
edzz.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com
Assistant Professor (Education) in Palaeobiology - School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences - 107465 - Grade 8
You will contribute to a range of education-related activities. In addition you will be expected to demonstrate academic citizenship, developing and maintaining mutually respectful and supportive work...
02019
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Nic Rawlence @nicrawlencenz.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
You can also read about our research in this @aunz.theconversation.com piece theconversation.com/meet-the-old... 13/13
theconversation.com
Meet the ‘Old Mother Goose’ from NZ’s subtropical prehistoric past
The newly described fossil goose Meterchen luti lived alongside crocodilians and turtles on the shores of the ancient Lake Manuherikia.
051
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Nic Rawlence @nicrawlencenz.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Welcome to the world Meterchen luti, the St Bathans goose that lived in subtropical New Zealand 14-19 Mya (www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....), making it ten waterfowl species that lived around the giant palaeolake Manuherikia. Artwork by Sasha Votyakova/Te Papa CC BY-NC-SA. 1/13 🧵
12411
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Thomas MacGillavry @thomasmacgillavry.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Check out the new bowerbird special issue in Emu - Austral Ornithology! Lots of interesting new #bowerbird research, featuring a fancy flame bowerbird on the cover! Check out our review on the origins and functions of bower construction behaviour here: doi.org/10.1080/0158...
0145
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Sergio @nebreda.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Say👋 to *Gorgonavis alcyone*, the newest enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of Spain✨🐦 We welcome here the 1st adult cranial remains of a bird from the fossil site of Las Hoyas, and the 1st longipterygid out of China... Thread!!🧵👇 Paleart by Roc Olivé
28437
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
🚨 For those with access to collections of bird specimens: we are looking for collaborators who can quickly measure bulbuls/greenbuls (Pycnonotidae) for a project on intraspecific trait variation. We need 100s specimens measured from common species in return for co-authorship. Anyone up for it? 🧪🌐🪶
21723
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Emily Mitchell @egmitchell.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
This #FossilFriday I am delighted to share a postdoctoral position that we @deeptimeecology.bsky.social @camzoology.bsky.social are advertising on early animal evolution in the #Ediacaran. www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/postdoc...
Ediacaran fossil surface on the coastline of Newfoundland, Canada
13531
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Abi Crane @gruiformabi.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
🚨NEW PAPER OUT🚨 The anatomy of bird lower jaw bones has been understudied...until now! Here, we examine avian mandibular anatomy, answering some and raising more questions about the phylogenetic affinities of key early crown-group birds. Read on! link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
Mandibular morphology clarifies phylogenetic relationships near the origin of crown birds - BMC Ecology and Evolution
Background The phylogenetic relationships of fossil birds near the origin of the avian crown group remain debated, in part due to a limited amount of character evidence from incomplete fossils. The av...
13321
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Mario Vallejo-Marin @nicrodemo.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Join us at the Evolutionary Biology Centre at Uppsala University. We’re searching for an Assistant Professor in Biology. www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
Uppsala in late autumn
1159185
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Ksepka Lab @ksepkalab.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Don't forgot your fossil friends on Penguin Awareness Day. Here's the skull of Eudyptes warhami, an extinct crested penguin from the Chatham Islands. Its such an interesting species that it's features on a NZ coin! Read more here: fossilpenguins.wordpress.com/2019/02/05/a...
1146
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Guillermo Navalón @gnavalon.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Beyond excited to announce that as of today I officially started a Ramón y Cajal 5-year senior fellowship (tenure-track) at University of Alcalá in Madrid, if you are interested in birds & vertebrate macroevolution & you like sun & good food, hit me up to explore postdoc or PhD opportunities!
44512
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Dr Cecily Nicholl @piginatutu.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Our paper re-evaluating the notosuchian Eremosuchus elkoholicus is out now! This work formed a chapter of my PhD thesis, and sheds some light on the complex evolutionary history of sebecid crocodyliforms 🐊🌎 @es-ucl.bsky.social
02211
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Jordan Bestwick @jordanbestwick1.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
The geology department at the University of Leicester, where myself and countless others did our palaeontology PhDs, is at serious risk of closure Please show your support by signing the below! c.org/KtYyZB8dHk
c.org
Save Geology at the University of Leicester
Can you spare a minute to help this campaign?
18252
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Dr. Bethany Allen @bethanyjallen.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
I reviewed The Tree of Life by @maxjtelford.bsky.social for @natecoevo.nature.com 🌳 You can access my review for free here: rdcu.be/eOcYY
rdcu.be
A beginner’s guide to tree thinking
Nature Ecology & Evolution - A beginner’s guide to tree thinking
12911
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
RSPB @rspb.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
A fluffy Long-tailed Tit perched on a bare twig in soft winter sunlight, its white and pink plumage glowing softly.
KNOWS WHAT YOU DID
10/10
Nothing scarier than your own past.
739844
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
Eurasian Jay posing for the camera this weekend ☺️ #birding #photography
A beautiful Eurasian jay sits upright on a branch with a blue sky backgroundAnother jay sits amongst the autumn leaves changing colour
180
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Nic Rawlence @nicrawlencenz.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...
discoverwildlife.com
Ancient bone discovered in New Zealand – and scientists are amazed at what it may belong to | Discover Wildlife
The small foot bone, unearthed in Central Otago, is millions of years old.
083
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
Wooohooo congratulations!!!!
020
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Nic Rawlence @nicrawlencenz.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
What better way to finish off #FossilFriday than to read about the latest discovery from St Bathans of a possible Miocene bowerbird in Aotearoa #NewZealand theconversation.com/a-tiny-fossi... @lizzysteell.bsky.social
theconversation.com
A tiny fossil suggests bowerbirds once lived in ancient New Zealand – new research
New Zealand’s ancient bowerbird was smaller and more slender than the species living in Australia and New Guinea today.
0104
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Guillermo Navalón @gnavalon.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Bowerbirds are Australo-Papuan birds engaging in some of the most flamboyant displays among vertebrates, and they might have been in New Zealand - Aotearoa in the Miocene too! Amazing descriptive research with a tinge of quantitative flair lead by @lizzysteell.bsky.social Check it out! 👇
052
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Check out our @aunz.theconversation.com article covering the St Bathans #bowerbird story! theconversation.com/a-tiny-fossi... @nicrawlencenz.bsky.social @atennyson.bsky.social @plubbe.bsky.social
theconversation.com
A tiny fossil suggests bowerbirds once lived in ancient New Zealand – new research
New Zealand’s ancient bowerbird was smaller and more slender than the species living in Australia and New Guinea today.
065
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Nic Rawlence @nicrawlencenz.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Welcome to the world Aevipertidus gracilis - the gracile one from a lost age. 14-19 Mya ancient #NewZealand appears to have had a bowerbird. Check out this amazing research mahi led by Elizabeth Steell (www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....). Artwork by Sasha Votyakova/Te Papa CC-BY-SA. 1/9 🧵
12813
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
I think the NZ Miocene holds many more surprises for the passerine fossil record. Stay tuned for more discoveries! (11/11).
040
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
These passerine lineages, as well as Aeviperditus gracilis, probably represent lineages that dispersed out of Australia during the Oligocene and Miocene, but not all survived in NZ. Aeviperditus means 'lost through the ages' - it came from a distant land but went extinct before the present. (10/11)
140
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Aeviperditus gracilis is one piece in the puzzle to understanding NZ's ancient biodiversity. NZ is home to several endemic passerine families that arrived there early in passerine evolutionary history, but most families have not been found in the fossil record as of yet. (9/11)
130
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Passerines from Miocene St Bathans are not well known or described, because passerine morphology is difficult to work with. The bones are mostly tiny, passerines are so diverse (~6000 living species), and key features of each group are poorly known. There's a lot more work to be done. (8/11)
150
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
We estimated the mass of A. gracilis at ~33g, which would make it the smallest of all bowerbirds. Living bowerbirds range from ~62g-292g. Our fossil bird would be about the same size as the NZ Bellbird, but with longer feet. 📸 New Zealand Bellbird. © Daniel J. Field @fieldpalaeo.bsky.social (7/11)
A photo of a New Zealand Bellbird, a member of the honeyeater family. Photo by Daniel J Field
160
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Aeviperditus gracilis has a foot most similar to the avenue bowerbird clade. Bowerbirds are famous for their colourfully decorated bowers, which males of many species build to attract mates. 📸 Satin Bowerbird at his avenue bower decorated in blue. © Daniel J. Field @fieldpalaeo.bsky.social (6/11)
A Satin Bowerbird attending to his avenue bower which is highly decorated with bright blue objects. Photo taken by Daniel J Field, used with permission.
161
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
A trait similarity analysis revealed it was very similar in shape to the bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchidae) from Australia and New Guinea, which are not endemic in New Zealand or known from the NZ fossil record! (5/11)
A colourful bar plot to show similarity with the fossil with different passerine species colour coded by clade. There are insets with different species' tarsometatarsi showing different morphologies.
150
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Unfortunately it was broken at the proximal end, but the proportions are long and gracile, hence 'gracilis' in the species name. We compared it to all the endemic NZ passerine species, but nothing was similar. Scratching our heads, we looked further afield to Australian species. (4/11)
A figure of several drawings of different tarsometatarsi in different views
140
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Our new fossil was described from a single 3D well preserved foot (tarsometatarsus). The bone is from a small passerine, and only measures about ~3cm in length. Micro-CT scanning meant we could study it in greater detail than under a microscope. (3/11)
A figure of the new fossil tarsometatarsus in different angles, showing how elongate it is
150
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Team effort from @fieldpalaeo.bsky.social @plubbe.bsky.social @nicrawlencenz.bsky.social Alex Brown and @atennyson.bsky.social between Cambridge Uni, Otago Uni and Te Papa Tongarewa. Find the paper here www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... @historicalbiology.bsky.social (🧵2/11)
tandfonline.com
A possible early bowerbird from the Miocene of New Zealand
Aotearoa New Zealand is home to several endemic passerine bird lineages that likely dispersed from Australia between the Eocene and Miocene. Although the Australian pre-Pleistocene passerine fossil...
172
Lizzy Steell @lizzysteell.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
🦴New fossil alert🦴 Introducing Aeviperditus gracilis, a possible bowerbird from the Miocene of New Zealand. My first fossil description! Artwork by the amazing Sasha Votyakova (Te Papa CC-BY-SA) (🧵1/11)
An artist's reconstruction of the St Bathans bowerbird. A small bird with long feet, coloured in dark olive green and yellow plumage, with a bright yellow eye. It's holding a thin twig in it's thick, sturdy beak and the bird is perched on a stick.
212027
Reposted by Lizzy Steell
Fabio Alfieri @fabioalfieri2.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
And here you can find the plain-language summary🙂 fesummaries.wordpress.com/2025/09/19/w...
fesummaries.wordpress.com
Why bird wing bones look so similar inside, no matter how they live
Fabio Alfieri, Oliver E. Demuth, Elizabeth M. Steell, Anne-Claire Fabre, Daniel J. Field This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Bones are…
031