All articles tagged with #ancient birds
Fossil fragments in northern Alaska reveal that ancient birds nested in the Arctic at least 73 million years ago, 30 million years earlier than previously thought, indicating early adaptation to extreme climates and reshaping our understanding of avian evolution during the Late Cretaceous period.
Birdwatching in the age of dinosaurs would have been an extraordinary experience, with ancient birds such as Archaeopteryx, Confuciusornis, Falcatakely, Hesperornis, Vegavis, and Asteriornis roaming the skies. These ancient birds, closely related to dinosaurs, varied in appearance and behavior, from the iconic dino-bird Archaeopteryx with its feathered wings to the aquatic Hesperornis resembling a six-foot-tall penguin. The survival and evolution of these humble birds, including ancestors of modern ducks and chickens, played a crucial role in their ability to endure the mass extinction event that wiped out non-bird dinosaurs.