In the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant a large collection of bird fossils has been found. The cache contained over 200 bones and fragments. It is the largest such grouping of bird fossils to be found in Europe.
The fossils were found in a layer of the earth believed to be of marine origin, which is reflected in the types of fossils found. Albatrosses, shearwaters, geese and ducks were the main bird species found. Some of the species were previously unknown to science. The fossils were used to compare with other, similar fossils in existence in North America and other parts of Europe.
The types of bird fossils discovered indicates a much warmer climate than today’s Noord-Brabant.
The fossils have been studied for over a year, in cooperation with both amateurs and researchers from several Dutch museums, including Naturalis in Leiden, Oertijdmuseum De Groene Poort in Boxtel and the Institute for Archaeology from the University of Groningen. The fossils were compared with bones from the east coast of the United States from the collection of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. It was the first time that fossils of birds from the Miocene and Pliocene periods from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean were compared.
The total number of sea bird species in the Pliocene period is much larger than what is now found in the Atlantic Ocean region.
A portion of the fossils are on display at the Oertijdmuseum in Boxtel, along with other exhibits demonstrating the changes to the climate of the Netherlands over the eons.
