The newly analyzed bird feather fossil that provided the missing clues comes from an extinct bird group called Hesperornithiforms and not from the ancestor of modern birds, Neornithes.
However, the team said subtle differences between the species suggest previous theories crediting adaptation to water diving as the key to Neornithesβ survival were likely on the right track.
Survival of Modern Bird Ancestors Posed a 66-Million-Year-Old Mystery
When a huge piece of space rock slammed into Earth, killing off virtually all dinosaur species save the ancestors of modern birds, the event also left behind a 66-million-year-old mystery. How did these ancient avians survive this apocalyptic event, resulting in every bird species we see today?
Jingmai OβConnor, the associateΒ curator of fossil reptiles at the Field Museum in Chicago, said her career has been spent analyzing fossils to try to answer this single, critical question. However, unlike the new poop-encased bird feathers, most were not so βnaturallyβ protected from the ravages of time.
βItβs such a beautiful, well-preserved feather, from such an unexpected source, and itβs exciting that it could help us answer this huge question in paleontology,β explained the lead author of a study detailing the new analysis. βAs far as I know, no one has ever thought to look for feathers or to study feathers in coprolites, so this project was really exciting.β
Dinosaur Dropping Provided Effective Preservation Medium
Researchers discovered the ancient bird feather in 2016 in Montana. Although she initially suspected it could be a coprolite rock (fossilized feces), OβConnor said she couldnβt confirm the theory for a decade.
David DeMar, Jr., holding the exposed fossil feather in the coprolite fragment on the day of its discovery in 2016. Image Credit: David DeMar, Jr.
The situation changed when OβConnor and Nate Carroll, a co-author of the paper and paleontologist at the Carter County Museum in Ekalaka, Montana, gained access to the micro-CT scanner at USCβs medical campus in Los Angeles, California. According to OβConnor, thatβs when βthe full feathery fabric of this fossil fecesβ started to finally reveal itself.
βEvery hour processing the data revealed another feather, another scale, another boneβin stunning 3D,β Carrol also recalled.
The fossil feather preserved in dinosaur poop. Image Credit: OβConnor et al.
Along with multiple feathers and tiny fish scales, the ancient dinosaur poop, which may have come from a Tyrannosaurus Rex, also contained legs from a hesperonithiform bird.
OβConnor said hesperonithiforms were ancient aquatic birds with similarities to modern loons. Critically, these cousins of the modern bird ancestor group had evolved specialized feet to hunt for fish by diving deep into the water.
βThe feathers showed adaptations for being underwater that we see in living aquatic birds,β OβConnor explained.
Notably, the team said this evolution likely cost ancient hesperonithiforms like the one that was consumed by a dinosaur the ability to fly.
Connection to Modern Birds Offers a SolutionΒ
Although the bird group represented by the fossilized feather did not survive the dinosaur-killing asteroid, its connection to the ancestor of modern birds appears to support a previously proposed theory that adaptation to water may have helped Neornithes survive. OβConnor said she thinks that small differences in the feathers of the two ancient bird species hold the answer to a 66-million-year-old mystery.
βWe think the types of feathers that these birds had, and/or the way they molted those feathers, may have been one of the underlying causes of the selectivity of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction,β the researcher explained, adding that this is βessentially why some birds died out and why others survived.β
Specifically, OβConnor pointed to the βsmaller, fuzzy, primitive body feathersβ found on the extinct bird βthat we associate with dinosaurs and enantiornithinesβ alongside more modern-looking waterproof adaptations.
The team said that these evolutionary relics suggest that hesperornithiforms like the one that left behind its feathers were an evolutionary bridge between older bird groups and the Neornithes that survived the cosmic collision. Even more critically, the team said these earlier feather structures may not have retained heat as effectively as Neornithes feathers, allowing one species to survive the asteroid and another to die in the extreme cold that followed.
βThe hesperornithiforms retain primitive feather types that may not have been as efficient for insulation as modern plumaceous feathers, and that could explain why they went extinct along with the enantiornithines,β OβConnor explained.
Christopher Plain has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Reporter at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his novels at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org.
Paleontologists in Montana have discovered remarkably preserved feathers of an ancient aquatic bird inside a fossilized dinosaur dropping, offering rare insight into why certain birds survived the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
A horned owl living in a narrow strip of high-Andean grassland in northern Peru is a species new to science, according to a paper published in July 2026 in the journal Audiornis.
In a study of 2,266 workers in Finland, evening-type people, or night owls, were up to three times more likely to be treated for depression or anxiety than morning types, with poor work-life balance identified as a key contributing factor.
Dinosaurs evolved into some of the largest animals ever to walk the Earth, but a new mathematical model suggests that early mammals may have crowded them out of the ecological niches reserved for the smallest creatures.
New research led by University of Lethbridge scientists offers the most detailed look yet at how the dodo (Raphus cucullatus) -- the flightless bird driven to extinction by the 1600s -- actually perceived its world, suggesting the βstupid birdβ had a far more complex sensory life than its reputation implies.
Em 2024, a Apple passou a oferecer suporte ao RCS nos iPhones, o que melhorou alguns aspectos bΓ‘sicos, como a qualidade das fotos e os indicadores de digitaΓ§Γ£o. No entanto, os resultados sΓ£o inconsistentes, e a mudanΓ§a nΓ£o permitiu que usuΓ‘rios de Android se tornassem membros plenos de grupos do iMessage. ReaΓ§Γ΅es, respostas e recursos de grupo do iMessage frequentemente falham quando hΓ‘ um celular Android no chat, e as mensagens enviadas por Androids continuam aparecendo em balΓ΅es verdes.
Archaeologists in southwestern Germany have unearthed two miniature bird figurines carved from mammoth ivory, among the smallest and most delicate examples of Ice Age art ever found.
Doze tΓtulos nΓ£o acontecem por acaso. ConheΓ§a por dentro um dos programas mais prestigiados do basquete universitΓ‘rio. A Dinastia: #UConnHuskies β 21 de agosto na Apple TV.
NOTA DE TRANSPARΓNCIA: O MacMagazine recebe uma pequena comissΓ£o sobre vendas concluΓdas por meio de links deste post, mas vocΓͺ, como consumidor, nΓ£o paga nada mais pelos produtos/serviΓ§os usando os nossos links de afiliado.
An innovative new approach to building safer, more efficient small unmanned aerial vehicles is taking a cue from nature.
Anticipating worsening turbulence due to environmental concerns in the coming years, engineers studying the unmatched hovering ability of kestrels hope to reverse engineer the secrets of their exceptional flight capabilities to help assemble better future drones.
Smaller drones, known as sUAVs, have a range of different applications that include delivery services, photography, and more. However, wind conditions can often cause turbulence that either grounds them temporarily or, when caught off guard, can lead to their destruction.
Now, a team of researchers has published their findings in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, which details an ongoing collaboration between RMIT University and the University of Bristol that seeks to overcome such issues by building drones that operate more like some of natureβs best flyers.
Specifically, the nankeen kestrel is an avian species whose amazing prowess while flying during adverse conditions still confounds researchers. To unravel the secrets of their flight, the researchers used motion capture technologies made possible in RMITβs special Industrial Wind Tunnel facility, one of the largest such facilities anywhere on the Australian continent.
βBirds donβt rely on a single response to wind gusts,β according to RMIT researcher Matt Penn. βThey constantly adjust their wings and tails to stay balanced, while the natural flexibility of their feathers and joints helps absorb sudden changes in airflow.β
βThey can also sense disruptions very quickly, which allows them to respond almost instantly and maintain control,β added Penn, one of the team members who co-led the studies into how birds can cope with turbulence.
According to Penn and his colleagues, these birds possess a range of unique strategies that help them overcome the dangers of turbulence, which help them navigate under conditions that would cause most sUAVs to come tumbling from the sky.
To attempt to understand what makes kestrels such adept fliers, the team created a robotic replica to mimic some of their key flight movements and characteristics, which allowed the team to unravel some of the secrets to how these incredible birds perform.
βBy creating a robot replica, we were able to measure how specific movements were contributing to steadiness in flight,β said Dr Mario Martinez Groves-Raines, a researcher now with the Royal Veterinary College in London, adding that precision measurements of kestrel flight that normally could not be achieved in nature were possible using the teamβs robotic version.
βWe uncovered several unique techniques behind the kestrelβs impressive stability,β Groves-Raines said. βMany of these techniques have the potential to improve [the] manoeuvrability of small aircraft, which encounter similar challenges to kestrels.β
βThis research shows whatβs possible when engineers look to nature for solutions,β added RMIT senior researcher Associate Professor Abdulghani Mohamed.
βOur findings open new pathways for designing aircraft that can better handle turbulence.β
Going forward, the researchers say they hope to apply their findings toward the construction of novel sUAVs, which can help future drones operate safely and more efficiently, much like their agile avian forebears.
Ultimately, similar engineering in the coming years may have applications that extend well beyond just drone flight, and could also help to ensure safe operations for much larger aircraft.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached atΒ micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on XΒ @MicahHanks, and atΒ micahhanks.com.
A new genus and species of four-winged pennaraptoran dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of northern China is adding another twist to the story of how birds evolved from their dinosaur ancestors.
A small songbird inhabiting the Babar Islands, in the Banda Sea, Indonesia, has been identified as a new species after a duo of researchers discovered that its distinctive song sets it apart from its closest relative.
Scientists have identified supermagnetic macrophages in the livers of homing pigeons (Columba livia domestica) that appear essential for navigation when the Sun is not visible, pointing to an entirely new mechanism for animal magnetoreception.
Named Plumadraco bankoorum, the newly-described species of enantiornithine bird lived in what is now northeastern China during the Cretaceous period, roughly 121 million years ago.