Polar ecosystems are home to many bird species that nest there seasonally, playing a crucial role in these environments. Despite their importance, the origins of high-latitude nesting in birds remain unclear due to limited fossil records. New research has shed light on this topic by examining an extreme-latitude assemblage of 73-million-year-old bird fossils from the Prince Creek Formation of Alaska.
According to Dr. Lauren Wilson and her team, birds have existed for 150 million years and have been nesting in the Arctic for half of that time. Their analysis of fossilized bird bones and teeth found multiple types of birds, including diving birds similar to loons and gull-like birds, that were breeding in the Arctic during the Late Cretaceous period.
The discovery pushes back the record of birds reproducing in polar regions by 25-30 million years, providing significant insights into their evolution. The findings suggest that the Arctic was a key habitat for modern birds, with some specimens exhibiting skeletal features unique to this group.
While it remains to be seen whether these fossils belong to the Neornithes group, which includes all modern birds, the discovery has major implications for our understanding of bird evolution. If confirmed, these fossils would be the oldest known members of this group, dating back to around 73 million years ago.
Source: https://www.sci.news/paleontology/cretaceous-bird-nesting-polar-latitudes-13949.html