Illustration of Vegavis iaai, a prehistoric bird. It lived in Antarctica during the Late Cretaceous Period approximately 66 million years ago. The extinct bird belongs to the Vegaviidae family, a group distantly related to modern ducks and geese. It is believed to be the earliest known bird in the Mesozoic era to have a vocal organ or syrinx. Scientists discovered this organ in a fossilized Vegavis iaai bird, providing physical evidence that birds similar to some modern species coexisted with dinosaurs.