研究人员在美国蒙大拿州东北部Hell Creek地层发现的恐龙粪便化石中，找到了一根保存完好的鸟类羽毛1。这根羽毛来自一种类似于潜鸭的水生鸟类（犹豫鸟类），距今约66百万年1。由芝加哥菲尔德博物馆古爬行动物副策展人Jingmai O'Connor领导的研究团队对这根羽毛的结构进行了详细分析1。
通过研究，科学家发现犹豫鸟类的羽毛具有原始特征，其保温效率低于现存的新鸟类1。这一发现为解释白垩纪末期大灭绝事件中鸟类物种的差异存活提供了新的视角1。研究人员推测，当小行星撞击地球引发"撞击冬季"时，羽毛保温效率较差的鸟类物种因无法适应严酷环境而灭绝，而具有更高效隔热特性的新鸟类谱系则得以存活1。这项研究成果已发表在《Current Biology》期刊上1。
Researchers have discovered a remarkably well-preserved bird feather trapped within fossilized dinosaur droppings dating back 66 million years, according to findings published in Current Biology in August 20261. The feather, recovered from the Hell Creek Formation in northeastern Montana in 2016, belonged to a water-dwelling bird species resembling a diving duck1. The discovery was led by Jingmai O'Connor, associate curator of fossil reptiles at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago1.
Analysis of the feather's structure reveals primitive characteristics1. Notably, the feather exhibited significantly lower insulating efficiency compared to modern bird species1. Researchers propose that during the "impact winter" triggered by the asteroid collision that ended the Cretaceous period, bird species with poor thermal regulation—such as the one represented by this feather—perished, while only lineages possessing superior insulation survived the catastrophic environmental conditions1.
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