Russian scientists discover Siberian parrot fossils

Siberian paleontologist Dr Nikita Zelenkov has stunned scientists all over the world with his latest discovery — fossilised remains of a 16 million-year-old parrot who once lived in the Tagay Bay area of Siberia’s Lake Baikal.

This important finding has radically transformed our knowledge of parrots who until recently have been thought to inhabit tropical and sub-tropical regions.

Dr Zelenkov confirms that he was no less surprised by his discovery, despite the fact that Tagay Bay is teeming with precious fossils of prehistorical animals including cats, rhinos, rodents and hippos. Unfortunately, the recently discovered parrot’s bone — a small fragment of the lower leg — doesn’t give enough evidence to reconstruct the bird’s appearance. Mr Zelenkov’s guess is that Tagay Bay parrots were fairly small in size and were probably covered with a thicker layer of feathers to protect them from a harsher climate. Whether or not the Siberian parrot could talk like their modern successors remains to be established.