Birds have a direct line of continuity back to the age of the dinosaurs.
Many varieties survived while the likes of the T-Rex went extinct through catastrophic events.
But why the birds were able to survive is still a question for study.
These tiny baby bird feathers preserved in amber since the Cretaceous period have enabled scientists to understand the effects of such feather features on survival for certain species. (Photo:Shundong Bi)
Newpaperssuggest that themolting patternsof certain prehistoric species may have engineered their survival and shaped the biology of modern birds.
Like human children loosing baby teeth, this is the process by which baby birds get adult feathers.
There are two types of bird molting patterns to consider.
Artist’s rendition of a baby Enantiornithine bird. (Photo:Field Museum)
Altricial birds are born naked and kept warm by theirparents body heat.
Precocial birds are born with their own baby feathers.
They all molt periodically, even in adulthood, a process which is very energy-draining.
This is less protective than species who lose and replace feathers progressively over a molting period.
A recent study by Shundong Bi and Jingmai OConnor examines baby bird feathers preserved in amber.
An incredibly rare find, Chicago’sField Museumcalled them the first definitive fossil evidence of juvenile molting.
The bird was likely an Enantiornithines punch in of bird, which was precocial.
Yet, interestingly, the feathers present a slightly different story.
This specimen shows a totally bizarre combination of precocial and altricial characteristics, says OConnor.
O’Connor’s work with Yosef Kiat on another paper suggests the relationship to modern birds.
The pair tested over 600 modern bird skins from the Field Museum for active molting.
This suggests that ancient birds may not have molted as often as their modern descendants.
I think it’s a combination of characteristics.
Artist’s rendition of a baby Enantiornithine bird.
