69-million-year-old fossil discovery reveals earliest modern bird
Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid impact triggered the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs. Yet, some early birds, including the ancestors of modern waterfowl, survived. A new discovery from Antarctica provides fresh insight into their evolution.
66 million years ago, Antarctica was lush, temperate, and home to the oldest modern bird and T-Rex
A recently analyzed near-complete fossil skull found in Antarctica has revealed Vegavis iaai to be the oldest known modern bird, according to a study published in Nature.
After the asteroid, the earliest bird ancestors thrived in Antarctica
With its glaciers and sub-zero temperatures, Antarctica hardly seems like a place of refuge. However, the now icy continent might have been just that for the early ancestors of today’s living waterbirds –especially after an asteroid slammed into the Earth.
Fossil of oldest known modern bird discovered in Antarctica
A 68-million-year-old skull fossil found in Antarctica has revealed the oldest known modern bird, which was likely related to the waterfowl that live by lakes and oceans today, according to new research.
Ancient relative of geese is the earliest known modern bird
A newly analysed fossil skull settles a palaeontological debate over Vegavis iaai, confirming it as a relative of ducks and geese that lived 69 million years ago
Cretaceous fossil from Antarctica reveals earliest modern bird
Digital reconstruction of the Late Cretaceous (~69 million years old) crown bird Vegavis iaai that was completed following high-resolution micro-computed tomography of a fossil-bearing concretion discovered on Vega Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Credit: Joseph Groenke (Ohio University) and Christopher Torres (University of the Pacific), 2025.
Paleontologists Discover Fossil of the Oldest Known Modern Bird—but It Raises More Questions Than It Answers
Paleontologists have been arguing whether modern birds developed before or after the infamous asteroid for decades. Now, a team of researchers has analyzed a 69-million-year-old fossil belonging to the long-extinct bird Vegavis iaai that could put the discussion to rest.
Fossil of ancient duck-like creature discovered
Scientists in Antarctica claim they have may have discovered the oldest modern bird ever found. The fossil which is a skull is believed to be 69-million-years old and belonged to a species called Vegavis iaai.
This Prehistoric Duck-Like Creature May Be The Earliest Modern Bird Ever Discovered
In 1992, a paleontologist unearthed the fossil of a prehistoric bird called "Vegavis iaai" in Antarctica and hypothesized that it was an early relative of today's ducks and geese. However, because the fossil was missing a skull,
EurekAlert!2d
Artist interpretation of Vegavis (IMAGE)
An artist’s interpretation of Vegavis iaai diving for fish in the shallow ocean off the coast of the Antarctic peninsula, with ammonites and plesiosaurs for company.
bangaloremirror.indiatimes23h
Did you know?
Scientists identify Vegavis iaai, a 69 million-year-old bird from Antarctica, as the oldest-known relative of modern birds, ...
The Search for the Original Silly Goose in the Fossil Record
Some paleontologists think that fossils recovered from Antarctica are evidence of birds similar to modern geese and ducks ...
EurekAlert!3d
Rare bird skull from the age of dinosaurs helps illuminate avian evolution
A new study in Nature describing a fossil of a nearly complete and intact bird skull from Antarctica is shedding light on the ...
devdiscourse2d
Antarctica's Ancient Avians & Other Science Marvels
A fossil from Antarctica unveils the oldest-known modern bird, Vegavis iaai, dating back 69 million years. In Chile, ...
IFLScience on MSN3d
68 Million-Year-Old Antarctic Fossil Proves Existence Of Dinosaur-Era Ducks
A Cretaceous-era skull found on Vega Island, Antarctica, has been confirmed as a member of the same order as ducks and geese, ...