Exploring Nature: Ancient Birds

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Birds as we know them are fairly new arrivals on this earth.

About 270 million years ago, lizards and dinosaurs had a common ancestor. The creatures that would evolve into lizards walked with legs spread and bellies almost touching the ground. After millions of years, they evolved to become snakes, turtles and even more lizards.

The dinosaur creatures evolved to become theropods, animals distinguished by having hollow bones, a wishbone and a very upright posture.

Fossilized remains show that early birds were both dinosaur-like and birdlike. For example, one raven-sized fossil provides evidence of the important transition to feathered wings that first suggested flight.

Early dinosaurs were the only meat-eating land animal and quickly reached the top of the food chain. Nothing stood in their way when it came to world dominance.

One of the most fierce of all these creatures was one called the Terror bird, or Phorushacidae by its scientific name. These predators had pickaxes for beaks. The joints of their rock-hard skulls were fused together and their beaks were strong enough to pound their prey to death.

One of the largest Terror birds, Titanis, lived in North America and slaughtered mammals for food until its domination ended with extinction about 2.5 million years ago.

Full-size dinosaurs eventually went extinct, helped along by a rogue meteor. But the avian species lived and prospered, evolving into today’s thousands of species of birds that live among us.

Personally, I am delighted to have cheerful chickadees and trilling titmice in my backyard, rather than huge birds with pickaxes for beaks.

I’d much rather be feeding my birds with seeds and suet than having them feed on something else.

Namely, me.