Scientists have identified a previously unknown relative of the modern-day ostrich from well-preserved fossils dating back 50 million years. The fossils were found more than a decade ago, completely intact with bones, feathers and soft tissues in a former lake bed in Wyoming, US.
Sterling Nesbitt of Virginia Tech’s College of Science in the US said that this discovery represents one of the earliest well-represented bird species after the age of large dinosaurs.The new species, named Calciavis grandei – comes from the latin words calci and avis. A skeleton is almost complete now
The discovery is important as fossilised birds are rare. The bird is dwelling to be roughly the size of a chicken, and is believed to be ground-dwelling. “These are spectacularly preserved fossils, one is a nearly complete skeleton covered with feather remains, the others are nearly as complete and some show soft tissue remains,” said Nesbitt. The Calciavis skeleton will be important to interpreting new bird fossils and other fossils from the Eocene epoch that were collected decades ago