73-million-year-old bird fossils found in Arctic, hint at nesting during dinosaur age

Time of India

16-06-2025

At a time when the Arctic was home to some of the last remaining dinosaurs, birds were not just surviving there– they were nesting and raising their young. A new international study has found fossil evidence confirming that birds were breeding in polar regions as far back as 73 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period.
The discovery significantly pushes back the known timeline of bird activity in the Arctic and reveals that these ancient species were far more adaptable than previously believed.
Fossil clues from Alaska offer fresh insight
The research was carried out by an international team led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, with participation from the University of Reading in the UK. The team studied over 50 small fossil specimens, including bones and teeth, collected from the Prince Creek Formation in northern Alaska– an area already known for dinosaur discoveries.
According to Dr Jacob Gardner from the University of Reading, a co-author of the study, and as quoted by the University of Reading website, 'For the first time, we determined the identities of large numbers of fossils using high-resolution scans and the latest computer tools, revealing an enormous diversity of birds in this ancient Arctic ecosystem.'
Juvenile bird fossils point to nesting behaviour
Among the fossils, researchers identified several bones belonging to very young birds.
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This rare find strongly suggests that birds were not simply migrating through the Arctic but were nesting and raising their offspring in the region.
'Finding bird bones from the Cretaceous period is already very rare. To find baby bird bones is almost unheard of. That is why these fossils are significant,' said Lauren Wilson, the lead author of the study, as quoted by the UAF website.
Polar nesting began much earlier than thought
The fossils are around 73 million years old, showing that birds were nesting in the Arctic at least 30 million years earlier than scientists thought.
This discovery changes what we know about how early birds lived and how they adapted to harsh environments.
As Wilson stated, 'Birds have existed for 150 million years. For half of the time they have existed, they have been nesting in the Arctic.'
Range of bird types identified
According to the report, the fossil remains showed several types of birds, including early diving birds, gull-like birds, and ones similar to today's ducks and geese. These birds seemed well-suited to life in the ancient Arctic, which was warmer than it is now but still tough for nesting.
The study gives a rare and important look at how birds lived with dinosaurs in northern regions, helping us learn more about life in ancient ecosystems.