Time Is A Weird Soup

Copepteryx hexeris, a plotopterid bird from the Late Oligocene of Japan (~28-23 mya).

Known from around the North Pacific rim from about 33-15 million years ago, plotopterids were flightless diving birds which used their small but powerful wings to propel themselves through the water. They were convergently similar to penguins in body shape and lifestyle, but not actually closely related to them – instead being relatives of gannets, cormorants, and anhingas.

Smaller plotopterids were about the size of modern cormorants, around 70cm long (2′4″), but the larger known genera like Copepteryx rivalled the southern giant penguins at around 1.8m (6′).

Meet the dazzling Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata). This bird is a flashier relative to the typical Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) often associated with Thanksgiving. It sports a lustrous coat of colorful feathers and a blue head dotted with vivid orange bumps. The word “ocellated” in its common name refers to the eye-like markings on this turkey’s tail, which are similar to those found on a peacock’s plumes.

While the Ocellated Turkey is closely related to its North American cousin, don’t expect them to sound the same. This spectacular bird's gobble begins with a series of low frequency thumps—similar to the sound of a starting engine!