Ice Age Peacock in Taiwan: Uncovering a Lost Bird Species

In Taiwan’s Ice Age fossil beds, researchers have uncovered mammoths, giant crocodiles, and saber-toothed cats, but until now, no extinct bird species had been found. That all changed with the recent discovery of a fossil peacock, marking the first Ice Age bird species ever identified on the island.

The fossil bone, from a peacock-sized bird that lived in southern Taiwan hundreds of thousands of years ago, was found near the city of Tainan. Local collector Li-Ren Hou discovered the bone and donated it to Dr. Cheng-Hsiu Tsai, an associate professor at National Taiwan University who specializes in fossil vertebrates.

After careful analysis by Tsai, first author Yong-Jie Lan, and Gerald Mayr from Germany’s Senckenberg Research Institute, the bone was identified as belonging to the Pavo genus, which includes peafowl. This finding was significant because no living peafowl reside on the island today, making it the first time a peafowl had been identified in Taiwan’s fossil record.

The fossil peacock bone, measuring approximately 5 inches in length, was compared to living peafowl and previously named fossil species, revealing small but consistent differences. These subtle variations, such as a more slender bone and different muscle attachment points, led to the identification of a new species named Pavo miejue, meaning “extinction event.”

Unlike its modern relatives, the Pavo miejue bone showed unique characteristics that set it apart. It is believed to have lived in a warm savanna environment, foraging across grasslands and forest borders, much like modern peafowl do. The discovery sheds light on a previously unknown aspect of Taiwan’s avian history during the Pleistocene era.

The study, which was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, represents a significant contribution to Taiwan’s paleontological record and challenges previous assumptions about the island’s extinct bird species. As more research is conducted in the region, additional discoveries may further shape our understanding of Taiwan’s ancient ecosystems and the creatures that once inhabited them.