February 2008 PMID 17898977

Hummingbird with modern feathering: an exceptionally well-preserved Oligocene fossil from southern France.

Antoine Louchart, Nicolas Tourment, Julie Carrier, Thierry Roux, Cécile Mourer-Chauviré

Full text PDF Download social card

Mentions

Peak: 6 in Nov 2020

across 5 sources since Nov 2020

Extended reach

449,670

potential audience

Total likes

13,000

Video views

411,509

Mentions per month

Nov 2020 – Aug 2025

Where it's discussed

X / Twitter13 posts
Blogs3 articles
Bluesky2 posts
YouTube2 videos
News2 articles

AI synopsis

What people are saying

The overall discussions show strong enthusiasm for the fossil's importance, with statements like 'amazing piece of info' and 'so cool,' highlighting excitement about the scientific implications. Posts referencing the fossil's age and features, such as '28 to 34 million years old' and 'morphological features,' reflect deep interest and contribute to a recognition of its potential impact on understanding bird evolution.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most posts express enthusiasm and support for the significance of the fossil discovery and its implications for hummingbird evolution.

InterestHigh interest

Posts exhibit high interest, with multiple references to the fossil's age, features, and relevance to evolutionary biology.

EngagementModerate engagement

Some posts demonstrate deeper engagement through mentions of related concepts like migration, evolutionary processes, and specific aspects of the fossil, indicating active thinking.

ImpactModerate impact

The discussions suggest the discovery adds meaningful insights to understanding hummingbird evolution, though they are more exploratory than groundbreaking.

Abstract in brief

This study describes an exceptionally well-preserved fossil hummingbird from the early Oligocene period in southeastern France, belonging to the genus Eurotrochilus, which is a stem group related to modern hummingbirds.
The fossil shows that these ancient European hummingbirds were quite modern in size, shape, and functionality, including features like hovering and nectar-feeding that are characteristic of today's hummingbirds, suggesting these abilities developed before the Oligocene.
Morphological features of the fossil, such as the beak, tail, and wing structure, resemble those of true hummingbirds (subfamily Trochilinae) and are considered primitive within the family, indicating early adaptations for their specialized flying and feeding behaviors.]

Read the full abstract

All mentions

Evolution of Hummingbirds and Their Fossil Record

Today Hummingbirds are only found in North and South America, but a fossil discovered in southern Germany dates back over 30 million years and is the oldest known hummingbird fossil. The study highlights an…

Moth Light Media · Nov 5, 2020 409,863 views

Exceptional Oligocene Hummingbird Fossil Reveals Early Modern Features

This study describes an exceptionally well-preserved fossil hummingbird from the early Oligocene period in southeastern France, belonging to the genus Eurotrochilus, a stem group related to modern hummingbirds. The…

Remei & Salvi · Aug 15, 2025 1,646 views

felix cortez

@felixco22900281 · X

Open your eyes https://t.co/uAwqXjpRsR

Apr 15, 2024 · 1 followers View post →

cissounetto

@PerezFr34896489 · X

RT @VincentReneleau: Ce fossile, trouvé en France, dans le Luberon, dans les années 70 mais publié en 2008, est vieux de 28 à 34 millions d…

Mar 30, 2024 · 2 shares · 4,921 followers View post →

Rafael Marquina-Blasco

@Ramarbla · X

RT @VincentReneleau: Ce fossile, trouvé en France, dans le Luberon, dans les années 70 mais publié en 2008, est vieux de 28 à 34 millions d…

Oct 6, 2023 · 2 shares · 168 followers View post →

Vincent Reneleau

@VincentReneleau · X

Oct 6, 2023 · 32 likes · 2 shares · 11,110 followers View post →

james

@jamesweir.bsky.social · Bluesky

never knew i had so much in common with hummingbirds (excrete my entire body weight in pee every day) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUIRhGIbszw

Aug 6, 2023 · 2 likes View post →

Michael Hobbes

@michaelhobbes.bsky.social · Bluesky

This guy's videos are so cool https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUIRhGIbszw

Aug 6, 2023 · 124 likes · 31 shares View post →

Sil

@GalindoSilvi · X

@CamilaCMillan https://t.co/Oo5HYwrmgp https://t.co/J2cZl9ITk9

Apr 7, 2023 · 84 followers View post →

Rewilding Ireland

@RewildingIre · X

https://t.co/YD6NsoDiXT This has an amazing piece of info in it about Hummingbirds on the European Landmass

Aug 3, 2021 · 14,597 followers View post →

george pinnington

@George_Pinno · X

Moth Light is my fav thing about Youtube (i've a really anal interest in evolutionary biology). This is his best piece. I love Hummingbirds https://t.co/ScSknBZfMx

Jul 9, 2021 · 372 followers View post →

Yael Dragwyla

@YDrgwyla · X

The Evolution of Hummingbirds https://t.co/wO5CHNOfq7 via @YouTube

Jun 4, 2021 · 25 followers View post →

SnowX2K5

@Snowx2k5 · X

The Evolution of Hummingbirds https://t.co/Z7KCs0lplM via @YouTube

Nov 28, 2020 · 1,865 followers View post →

Cindy

@cinny65 · X

The Evolution of Hummingbirds https://t.co/EQLDbRJNCK via @YouTube

Nov 10, 2020 · 2,354 followers View post →

Jay rajamanickam

@jayrajamanickam · X

The Evolution of Hummingbirds https://t.co/T4ut01ovgy #birds #hummingbirds #evolution #science

Nov 7, 2020 · 17 followers View post →

Adad

@Hunter_Adad · X

https://t.co/a8pNJhV9Ck

Nov 6, 2020 · 461 followers View post →

clarkjosephf.bsky.social

@clarkjosephf · X

Hummingbirds: A brief natural history: https://t.co/Y9pKsmAZ5t

Nov 5, 2020 · 2 likes · 2,113 followers View post →