# What Dinosaur Poop Reveals About Bird Survival

> A 66 million year old feather trapped in fossilized dinosaur droppings could explain why some birds survived the asteroid impact.
- Title: What Dinosaur Poop Reveals About Bird Survival · NPR
- Summary: A 66 million year old feather trapped in fossilized dinosaur droppings could explain why some birds survived the asteroid impact. Dinosaur coprolites can…
- Keywords: dinosaurs, fossils, birds, extinction, paleontology, news, Dinosaur, Poop, Reveals, Bird, Survival, NPR
- Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/09/10/nx-s1-5963519/best-fossilized-bird-feather-dinosaur-feces-extinction
- Published: 2026-09-10T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: dinosaurs, fossils, birds, extinction, paleontology, news
## A strange spot in the badlands
Field worker David DeMar was crawling up a hill in the Montana badlands when he noticed a small, dark, cherry-sized object on the ground.
## An extraordinary fossilized feather
Embedded inside a crack on the nodule sat a fossilized branching feather, hailed as the finest feather ever discovered from the age of dinosaurs.

> It is, without a doubt, the best feather we've ever found from the age of dinosaurs
## Preserved in ancient feces
The round fossil turned out to be coprolite, or fossilized poop, likely produced by a large carnivore like Tyrannosaurus rex.
## Clues inside the fossilized dung
CT scans revealed that the chunk contained more feathers, bone fragments, and two tiny fish scales preserved from 66 million years ago.
## An ancient diving bird
Researchers analyzed the bones and feathers inside the fossil and determined they belonged to a swimming bird similar to a modern loon or grebe.
## A snapshot of the food chain
The fish scales inside the coprolite were likely remnants of the bird's last meal before a predatory dinosaur ate the bird itself.

> A dinosaur ate an aquatic bird that ate a particular type of fish.
## The mystery of bird survival
When a massive asteroid struck Earth, dinosaurs and most bird lineages vanished. Only one group survived to give rise to modern birds.
## Feathers that lacked warmth
The fossilized body feathers of the extinct bird appeared to lack the insulating warmth of modern feathers, which may have hindered its survival in the cold.

> How do they stay warm when it gets cold, when this [asteroid] impact winter happens?
## Not everyone is convinced
Some evolutionary biologists argue that incomplete feather fragments from a single fossil are not enough to explain widespread species extinction.

> I think it's a stretch to explain the survivorship of some [species] and the extinction of others from that evidence
## A new window into soft tissues
The finding shows that fossilized droppings can preserve delicate soft tissues, opening up new ways to search for ancient feathers and fur.
## Key takeaway

Dinosaur coprolites can preserve soft tissues like feathers, offering rare clues about ancient food chains and why certain species survived mass extinction.