FRANKFURT, Germany, May 6 (UPI) -- A pair of 30 million-year-old fossils discovered in southern Germany appear to be the oldest remnants of hummingbirds ever found.
The location of the fossils is unexpected, because the birds today are only known to inhabit the Americas.
The scientists said the extinct hummingbirds may have influenced the shape of some modern Asian and African flowers, BBC News Online reported Thursday.
Other fossil hummingbirds have been found in Central America, Europe and Asia, but they are either very different from modern ones or are known from just a few bones. The new fossils, which have been assigned the species name Eurotrochilus inexpectatus, had long, nectar-sucking beaks and wings designed for feeding while hovering.
They share key anatomical wing features with modern hummingbirds, which suggests Eurotrochilus and modern hummingbirds belong together in a distinct group of birds.
