4,200 yo bird found 'perfectly preserved' in ice (PHOTO)

Published time: 5 Aug, 2017 22:56Edited time: 6 Aug, 2017 16:12

A frozen 4,200-year-old redwing thrush has been found perfectly preserved in Norway. The bird, whose age was determined through carbon tests, was dissected to determine if the bird’s organs have also survived the test of time.

The thrush was discovered by a warden with the Norwegian Nature Supervisor Agency on the edge of a snow bank in the Oppdal mountains, according to Jorgen Rosvold, a researcher with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, who spoke to NRK.

“That it is 4,000 years old is absolutely fantastic,” said Rosvold. “We have never opened and seen how a 4,000 year-old bird looks inside,” he added.

Researchers initially believed the bird to be no more than a few hundred years old, and now believe it flew over Norway’s skies thousands of years ago. It’s also thought the bird was caught and killed by a wolverine or fox.

“It was probably caught by a wolverine or a fox. We know that wolverines use ice to store food during the summer. So this thrush may have been put in the ice by a wolverine and has only been found again now,” Rosvold said.#

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Norwegian mammals and birds have many different methods of surviving long, intense winter nights

March 2, 2015

Source:

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Norwegian mammals and birds have many different methods of surviving long, intense winter nights. A biologist reveals their secrets for survival.

For birds and animals that must live out in Norway's frigid winters, every second has to be spent finding enough food not just to survive the day, but also the long hard night.

Not every creature manages to survive -- it is not uncommon to find frozen birds in birdhouses after a winter cold snap.

Some creatures solve this problem by being inactive. Bears sleep and hedgehogs, bats, and the northern birch mouse all hibernate between October and April or May. But not every critter has this possibility.

Snow as an insulator

Surviving the cold is most difficult for small creatures -- large mammals and birds can go up to several days without food.

Small creatures tend to have a large surface area compared to their total body size, which means that their bodies loose heat quickly when the cold sets in. They also aren't able to store as much fat, which means less insulation and more heat loss. Surviving is all about preventing this heat loss.

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Influenza Virus in Wild Birds in Norway

Sep. 11, 2013 — Ducks and gulls are the natural hosts of influenza A virus. Ragnhild Tønnessen's PhD research project has characterised influenza A viruses in gulls and ducks in Norway. Her discoveries may lead to a better understanding of the epidemiology and host adaptation of influenza A virus.

Wild birds, particularly ducks and gulls, are the natural hosts for influenza A viruses which can cause disease in animals and humans. Influenza A viruses can be divided into subtypes, of which the majority have been found in wild birds. Most subtypes of influenza A virus cause subclinical infections in wild birds. Infections in domestic chickens most commonly result in mild disease. In rare cases, if introduced from wild birds to poultry, some viruses of the H5 and H7 subtypes mutate and become highly pathogenic. One example of this is the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus in Southeast Asia known to cause “bird flu”.

Due to the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5N1 in Southeast Asia, a programme to monitor influenza viruses in wild birds in Norway was initiated in 2005. A large number of samples, gathered by hunters from ducks and gulls, were analysed at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute. Samples collected from Rogaland County in the South-West of Norway during the hunting seasons (August-December) of 2005-2007 and 2009-2010 were studied. The results showed that low pathogenic avian influenza viruses were present in 15.5% of the samples, and that the virus occurrence was higher in dabbling ducks than in gulls. The virus prevalence was lowest in December. Many different subtypes of the influenza A virus were detected, but not the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus.

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Final batch of sea eagles released from secret location in Fife

Six sea eagles have taken their first flight in Scottish skies, marking the end of a successful reintroduction programme.

September 2012. Over the past six years, 85 young birds have been released from a secret location in Fife in a bid to restore the species to its former range in eastern Scotland. Each bird has been fitted with a radio and wing tags so both project staff and the public can follow their future progress.

Once a regular sight in Scotland's skies, the sea eagle was driven to extinction in the Victorian era. It only returned to the UK following a successful reintroduction to the West of Scotland, on the Island of Rum in 1975. Although the majority of the Scottish population remains on the west of the country, the species is now regularly spotted in Eastern and Central Scotland too.

The partnership, which consists of RSPB Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland, with additional financial support from Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Fife and Rural Tayside LEADER 2007-2013 Programme, now hope the birds will begin to produce young on Scotland's east coast in the coming years.

Environment Minister Stewart Stevenson said: "We have been pleased to support this project over the last six years. The return of sea eagles to the skies of Scotland's east coast marks an important step in ensuring we now have a viable population of these magnificent birds. As well as fulfilling a role in our ecosystems, the birds are an important feature for our growing nature -based tourism industry."

Continued: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/fife-eagles-2012.html#cr