Scientists have discovered an ancient eagle fossil in South Australia that lived 25 million years ago. The fossil, one of Australia’s earliest examples of the Accipitridae family (eagles, old world vultures, and hawks), is named Archaehierax sylvestris, the ancient Greek for ‘ancient hawk of the forest.’ The fossil from Lake Pinpa in South Australia was found on an outback cattle ranch. Leading palaeontologist and co-author of the new study Trevor Worthy said that it was an exceptional find. “I have studied this system for many years now, and this is the most exquisite fossil we have found to date,” Worthy said. With 63 bones discovered, it is one of the most complete fossils from the late Oligocene sedimentary layers in Australia, as most birds are named on the basis of a single bone. “It’s rare to find even one bone from a fossil eagle. To have most of the skeleton is …