Owls and nightbirds are nocturnal hunters of active prey that combine visual and hearing adaptations to overcome limits on sensory performance in low light. Such sensory innovations are unknown in nonavialan theropod dinosaurs and are poorly characterized on the line that leads to birds. We investigate morphofunctional proxies of vision and hearing in living and extinct theropods and demonstrate deep evolutionary divergences of sensory modalities. Nocturnal predation evolved early in the nonavialan lineage Alvarezsauroidea, signaled by extreme low-light vision and increases in hearing sensitivity. The Late Cretaceous alvarezsauroid Shuvuuia deserti had even further specialized hearing acuity, rivaling that of today’s barn owl. This combination of sensory adaptations evolved independently in dinosaurs long before the modern bird radiation and provides a notable example of convergence between dinosaurs and mammals.

猫头鹰和夜鸟是夜间活动猎物的狩猎者，它们将视觉和听觉的适应性结合起来，以克服弱光条件下的感官性能限制。这种感官创新在非鸟足类兽脚亚目恐龙中是未知的，并且在通往鸟类的路线上的特征很差。我们调查视觉和听觉在生活和灭绝的兽脚类动物的形态功能代理，并证明了感官方式的深层进化分歧。夜间捕食是在非鸟类系Alvarezsauroidea的早期演化而来，其信号是极弱的弱光视力和听力敏感性的增强。白垩纪晚期的阿尔瓦祖龙类Shuvuuia deserti甚至还具有专门的听力敏锐度，可与当今的谷仓猫头鹰媲美。感觉适应的这种结合很早在现代鸟类辐射之前在恐龙中独立发展，并提供了恐龙与哺乳动物融合的一个显着例子。