Protodontopteryx ruthae -world’s oldest bird species

Question: Recently in which of the following country world’s oldest bird species, named as Protodontopteryx ruthae, has been discovered?
(a) Australia
(b) New Zealand
(c) Indonesia
(d) Norway
Answer: (b)
Related facts:

  • In September 2019; palaeobotanists from England discovered the world’s oldest bird species’ fossils in Waipara, New Zealand.
  • It was a sea bird, and is named as Protodontopteryx ruthae and the details of its discovery were published in the journal Palaeontology.
  • Team of scientists from the Canterbury Museum (England) undertook the project of studying the fossils of bird species’ fossils in Waipara region of New Zealand.
  • They confirmed that the bird lived 62 million years ago and it was a sea bird. The bird which was smallest in size of its family, maintained size of an average sea gull while its descendants had wingspans more than five metres.
  • It was first found by paleontologist Leigh Love at the Waipara Greensand fossil site in 2018. They had bony tooth like projections on their beaks’ edge and had evolved in the southern hemisphere.
  • The Waipara Greensand site where the Protodontopteryx skeleton was found has yielded several important scientific discoveries in recent years, including ancient penguins and the world’s oldest tropicbird fossil.

Links:
http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/protodontopteryx-ruthae-07603.html
https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/fossil-of-62-million-year-old-ancient-seabird-discovered-from-new-zealand-2316447.html
https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/one-of-world-s-oldest-bird-species-discovered-119091800415_1.html