Ancient Parrot Fossil Unearthed In Deepest Siberia

A parrot fossil was discovered in Siberia by a Russian paleontologist -- providing the first evidence for ancient parrots in Asia and representing the most northern record for parrots worldwide.

Jandaya Parakeet, Aratinga jandaya, aka Janday Conure. (Credit: Dick Daniels, The World Birds / CC BY-SA 3.0)

After lying undiscovered in a dusty box since 2012, a parrot fossil from the Miocene Epoch (23 to 5.3 million years ago) that had been unearthed in eastern Siberia has finally come to light. This unexpected discovery is the first evidence that parrots lived in Asia during the Miocene.

Paleontologist Nikita Zelenkov, who is Head of Cabinet of Paleornithology at the Borissiak Paleontological Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that as soon as he saw the fossil, he knew what it was.