Fossils as a Birdwatcher’s Time Machine

Presentation by Paleontologist Daniel Field

Join us for an engaging presentation by Daniel Field, an evolutionary paleontologist currently based at Yale University.

Monday, December 5, 7:00 P.M., Center at Fairfield, 2325 Burr Street

Fossils as a Birdwatcher’s Time Machine

Numbering over 10,000 living species, birds are the most diverse group of terrestrial vertebrate animals. In addition to occupying practically every ecosystem from the poles, to tropical rainforests, to deserts and the open ocean, birds exhibit an incredible variety of forms, colors, and lifestyles. But how, when, and why did this amazing variety originate? The fossil record preserves the only direct evidence of the history of birdlife, and recent discoveries have shed light on many critical events in bird evolutionary history. I will share my research explaining how 150-million-year-old dinosaur fossils record the initial stages of avian flight, and how more recent fossils show that North America was formerly inhabited by tropical bird groups now restricted to Africa.

Daniel is a paleontologist, zoologist, and wildlife photographer, studying the evolution of vertebrate animals (especially birds). He recently received his Ph.D. in paleontology from Yale, and now divides his time between photographing wildlife, hunting for fossils, and studying evolution in the lab. As of January 2017 he will be a Prize Fellow (junior tenure-track faculty) at the University of Bath, UK.

Program is free to members, $10 for non-members. Register online

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