Scientists in Antarctica have discovered what may be the oldest modern bird ever found. The 69 million-year-old fossil could finally put a longstanding debate about the origin of modern birds to rest.
The nearly complete skull belongs to Vegavis iaai, a waterfowl species believed to be the ancient relative of modern-day ducks and geese. The species lived at the same time as dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex and may have survived the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, the new study suggests.
