Remarkably Intact Fossil Species Suggests Tropicbirds Originated In Zealandia - Ancient Pages

A team of paleontologists from the University of Canterbury has discovered a remarkably intact fossil of one of the earliest ancestors of a group of birds now restricted to the tropics. Tropicbirds, now represented by only three living species, have a long fossil record spanning at least 62.5 million years, with the oldest described species being Clymenoptilon novaezealandicum, or Zealandian Tropicbird.