Extinct Bird from China Swallowed 800 Pebbles: What the Fossil Revealed.

According to ТСН: The extinct bird from China died 120 million years ago due to swallowing over 800 small pebbles.

A study published in the journal Palaeontologica Electronica showed that the bird likely swallowed the pebbles due to illness and attempted to expel them, but they became lodged in its esophagus. Scientists believe that such behavior may explain why some bird species went extinct along with dinosaurs, while others survived to this day.

How Scientists Determined the Cause of Death

Researchers discovered an unknown specimen in a museum collection in Shandong province, which was categorized in the group of enantiornithines. These birds existed during the Cretaceous period and had some primitive features from dinosaurs, including serrated edges on the beak and claws on the front limbs. In size, this bird did not exceed that of a sparrow, so it was designated as a separate species — Chromeornis funkyi, named after the Canadian music duo Chromeo.

To understand where the pebbles in the bird's esophagus came from, researchers compared the fossil with other known cases of birds that had swallowed stones. Initially, it was believed that the pebbles served to grind food in the stomach. However, it turned out that no known species had swallowed such a large number of pebbles, and some of them were found to be not stones but clay balls that could not be useful for digestion. Scientists proved that the bird had indeed swallowed these pebbles during its life, rather than during the process of fossilization. The most logical explanation for this was disease.

There is also the example of the Haast's eagle, the largest eagle in history, which had a wingspan of up to three meters and hunted giant moa birds. This species went extinct 500–600 years ago in New Zealand.

This finding highlights the importance of understanding evolutionary changes in nature and the specifics of bird life in ancient times. Unveiling the reasons for their extinction may aid in modern biodiversity research and ecological studies. The cases examined emphasize the significance of bird health and their responses to diseases in the past.