Earliest bird signs in southern hemisphere

Footprints preserved in the rocks of Australia’s south coast might have been left by ancient birds 128 million years ago — the earliest evidence for birds in the southern hemisphere. The 27 tracks would have been made when Australia was part of the Gondwana supercontinent; this particular bit of land was close to the South Pole. Features such as widely spread toes and a distinctive perching claw suggest the animals were birds, not dinosaurs.