Question: Which statement best describes the evolutionary history of birds during and after the Cretaceous period? Need Assignment Help? Question options: Ornithurae birds, which include the ancestors of modern birds, coexisted with Enantiornithes during the Cretaceous period. Enantiornithes were the ancestors of all modern birds and survived the mass extinction event. Neornithes, which include both Paleognathae and Neognathae, first appeared during the Jurassic period and dominated the Cretaceous. The extinction of Ornithurae birds led to the rise of Enantiornithes as the dominant bird group in the Cenozoic Era.