Paleontologists have described a large owl that killed medium-sized mammals with its feet and claws some 55 million years ago. “Today, owls kill with their beak," says paleontologist Thierry Smith (RBINS), who participated to the study of the well-preserved skeleton from Wyoming, USA.

Biologists from the University of Ghent discovered that bird skin becomes darker towards the equator. Tanned skin protects birds from harmful UV light. This evolutionary pattern was already know for humans and reptiles.