Duntroonornis facts for kids

Duntroonornis parvus, also known as the Duntroon penguin, was a type of penguin that lived a very long time ago. It is now extinct, meaning it no longer exists on Earth. This ancient penguin lived in New Zealand during a period called the Late Oligocene epoch. This was about 27.3 to 25.2 million years ago!

The Duntroon penguin was quite small. It was similar in size to the Fiordland penguin, which is a crested penguin found in New Zealand today.

Discovering the Duntroon Penguin

Scientists learned about the Duntroon penguin from a fossil bone. This fossil was a left tarsometatarsus, which is a bone found in a bird's lower leg, just above its foot.

The fossil was found near a place called Duntroon in the South Island of New Zealand. It was discovered in a special rock layer known as the Kokoamu Greensand Formation. This area is close to where the Canterbury and Otago regions meet.

Naming the Ancient Bird

The Duntroon penguin was officially described and named by a scientist named Brian Marples in 1952. He gave it the scientific name Duntroonornis parvus.

The name Duntroonornis means "Duntroon bird." This part of the name tells us where the fossil was found. The second part, parvus, comes from the Latin word for "small." So, its full name basically means "small bird from Duntroon."

Scientists have also found other fossils in the Hakataramea Valley that might belong to this same species of penguin. These discoveries help us learn more about the amazing ancient birds that once lived in New Zealand.