New research has revealed that Ancient Egyptians have captured and mummify millions of birds for ritualistic sacrifices. Researchers have recovered mummified birds specifically African sacred ibises, stacked atop each other in tiny jars and coffins. By observing it closely, it has been observed that  Egyptians probably plucked wild ibises from their natural habitats.  The mummies were buried around 2,500 years ago when the ibis sacrifice was common practice in Egypt. Researchers compared these mummified birds to that of 26 modern African sacred ibises, which could reveal clues about the ancient birds’ origin. However, DNA analysis revealed that the ancient and modern birds showed similar genetic diversity.