The oldest bird in the world has just been discovered in New Zealand

The fossil of this bird has been found at a famous New Fossil site of New Zealand. This discovery has changed what we know about the evolution of giant birds flying across the sea.

Named after Ruth, the wife of amateur paleontologist, who first discovered the skeleton last year, the Protodontopteryx ruthae is a 62 million-year-old fossil found in Waipara, a site of mines. Sea rocks have provided several fossils in recent years, including four other giant penguin species and 1.6 meters high Crossvallia waiparensis.

Image depicting the world's oldest bird.

The descendant of Protodontopteryx, a species of bird in the Pelagornithids family , is one of the largest flightless birds ever to fly in the sky. Their wingspan of more than 5 meters allows them to fly over long distances across the ocean, while their needle-like beaks are used to catch squid-like soft prey.

But the newly discovered Protodontopteryx is smaller in size, can only cover short distances and has evolutionary wide teeth to catch fish.

"Although this bird is relatively small, the impact of its discovery is significant in our understanding of this family. Until we find the skeleton, all pelagornithids," he said. have actually been found in the Northern Hemisphere, so everyone thinks they evolved there, '' Professor Paul Scofield said.

"New Zealand is a very different place when Protodontoperyx is in the sky. It has a tropical climate with a sea temperature of about 25 degrees," he added.

The surprising bone features of Protodontoperyx now help paleontologists better understand how these mysterious birds appear.

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