A fossil owl offers clues to hunting in daylight
· BehindLines newsroom
A small owl found at Messel in Germany sheds light on a habit now closely associated with these birds: going out at night. According to a study announced by Senckenberg, several features of the fossil instead suggest activity during daylight hours.
The animal, named Masillastrix blattophaga, lived around 47 million years ago. Its skeleton, discovered in 2025, preserves feathers and food remains. Although the skull is missing, this preservation allows researchers to compare several clues rather than build an argument around a single bone.
A meal and wings point in the same direction
In the stomach region, the researchers identified remains of a cockroach with an iridescent sheen. They compared these with another, better preserved insect found nearby. Among living insects, this kind of iridescence is associated with daytime habits. The prey therefore offers a clue to when its predator might have hunted.
The feathers and the robust shape of the upper arm bone support that interpretation. The wing appears less specialised for silent flight than those of present day nocturnal owls. These features nevertheless do not provide a direct record of behaviour.
A transition whose timing remains uncertain
Live Science notes that the prey could have been caught at dawn or dusk. The meal alone therefore cannot establish the bird's daily timetable. The value of the work lies in bringing together digestive contents, plumage and anatomy.
Comparison with more recent fossils narrows the possible period when a transition towards nocturnal life occurred, without finally explaining why it happened. This specimen does not describe every ancient owl. Instead, it provides a particularly rich point of comparison for testing ideas about their evolutionary history.