Wishbones and Dinosaurs

The wishbone dates back more than 150 million years.

The wishbone, more formally known as the furcula, is a feature that is unique to birds.  Photo: Credit: Clyde Robinson/Flickr Creative Commons

Words by BirdNote

Published November 19, 2014

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At Thanksgiving, when two people face off to break the turkey's wishbone in two, they are reenacting an ancient ritual. The origin of the practice dates back more than 2000 years, to ancient Etruscans and Romans who attributed wish-giving powers to the dried wishbone of a chicken.

But if you think that is old, consider how far back the wishbone itself goes.

The anatomical structure we call the wishbone in birds is formed by the fusion of the two clavicles — what we call our collarbones. This anatomical structure was long thought unique to birds. But fossil discoveries of recent decades have shown that some kinds of dinosaurs also had wishbones. In particular, those dinosaurs known as theropods: carnivorous dinosaurs that stood upright and walked — and ran — on two legs. This group includes mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, and the terrifying Velociraptors of Jurassic Park.

This means the wishbone itself dates back more than 150 million years.

And there is now wide consensus among experts that this group of dinosaurs includes the direct ancestors of modern birds. (Not only did they have wishbones but, like birds, they likely incubated their eggs, had hollow bones, and were clad in feathers.)

So the next time you pull on a wishbone, think back to the Romans – and then way back to T. rex.

The bird calls you hear on BirdNote come from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. To hear this show again, visit our website, BirdNote.org.

Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Itha-ca, New York.
'Hatching Baby Raptor' composed by John Williams, from Jurassic Park - The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 20th Anniversary Edition, 2013 Geffen Records
'Ma Vlast (My Country): Vltava (The Moldau): Beginning' performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra and Rafael Kubelik, From 'Classical Masterpieces 1' Deutsche Grammophon
BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.

Writer: Bob Sundstrom
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