Hummingbird Fossils Discovered in Germany
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
A pair of fossils from the world’s oldest known hummingbird of a modern type, which flew more than 30 million years ago, have been found in Germany, upending the assumption that the birds lived only in the Americas, Science magazine reported.
The extinct species was named Eurotrochilus inexpectatus, or “an unexpected European Trochilus,” the classification of the current species. The birds, measuring about 1.6 inches long, had elongated, narrow beaks. The wings were designed for hovering, a trait exclusive to hummingbirds.
