Bird evolution and taxonomy Research Papers

We used archived recordings of Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula) songs to examine characteristics of the song, repertoire size, and regional dialects across the species' breeding range and to assess possible cultural evolution in... more

We used archived recordings of Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula) songs to examine characteristics of the song, repertoire size, and regional dialects across the species' breeding range and to assess possible cultural evolution in dialects. Using recordings of 313 individuals, we confirmed that individuals have a single song type and that there are distinct regional song dialects. Our examination of phrases that form the last of this species' 3-part song revealed 43 different phrase types. We defined seven regions based on geographic features, ecoregions, and obvious clustering of particular phrase types. An eighth region corresponded to the published range of the subspecies C. c. grinnellii, coastal southern Alaska and the British Columbia coast. In each of those regions, two to three phrase types dominated and were found exclusively or primarily within a single region. Our finding of regional dialects confirms that the song of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is, at least with respect to this phrase, learned rather than innate. In species, such as this kinglet that sing during migration or in their non-breeding range, mapped dialects can help reveal migration strategy and migratory connectivity. Monitoring changes in dialects over time can confirm cultural evolution and shed light on both the timing and location of song learning. RESUMEN. Utilizamos grabaciones en repositorios de cantos del Reyezuelo Rubí (Corthylio calendula) para examinar las características del canto, el tamaño del repertorio y los dialectos regionales a lo largo del área de reproducción de la especie y para evaluar la posible evolución cultural de los dialectos. Utilizando grabaciones de 313 individuos, confirmamos que los individuos tienen un único tipo de canto y que existen distintos dialectos regionales de canto. Nuestro examinación de las frases que forman la última parte del canto de esta especie que está dividido en tres partes reveló 43 tipos de frases diferentes. Definimos siete regiones basadas en características geográficas, ecorregiones y agrupaciones evidentes de tipos de frases particulares. Una octava región correspondía al área de distribución publicada de la subespecie C. c. grinnellii, el sur de Alaska y la costa de la British Columbia. En cada una de estas regiones, dominaban de dos a tres tipos de frases y se encontraban exclusiva o principalmente en una sola región. Nuestro hallazgo de los dialectos regionales confirma que el canto del C. calendula es, al menos con respecto a esta frase, aprendido más que innato. En especies, como este reyezuelo, que cantan durante la migración o en su área de distribución no reproductiva, los dialectos mapeados pueden ayudar a revelar la estrategia de migración y la conectividad migratoria. El seguimiento de los cambios en los dialectos a lo largo del tiempo puede confirmar la evolución cultural y arrojar luz sobre el momento y la ubicación del aprendizaje del canto.

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- by Edward Pandolfino and +1
  Lily Douglas
- •
- 4
  Ornithology, Bird evolution and taxonomy, Bird Migration, Bird Song

Coucals are large, predatory, primarily ground-dwelling cuckoos of the genus Centropus, with 26 extant species ranging from Africa to Australia. Their evolutionary and biogeographical history are poorly understood and their fossil record... more

Birds present everywhere and are important ecological indicators. The study area Tenkasi (8.97°N 77.3°E) and Ambasumudram (8.7°N 77.47°E) region of Tirunelveli district, Tamilnadu state is at the foothills of Southern Western Ghats.... more

Abstract: The Cretaceous Lower Greensand bed is well exposed on the foreshore at Folkestone. These Greensand beds are known as the Folkestone Beds and preserve a diverse ichnofauna including footprints of terrestrial vertebrates. They... more

This study was carried out in Pyukan lake, Tada-U Township from June 2015 to May 2016, emphasized on the occurrence of waterbirds and assessed the relative abundance of waterbird species. Direct count method was employed. Among total of... more

ABSTRACT The current mainstream thinking is that birds developed from coelurosaur dinosaurs. A credible alternative is that birds did not develop from any kind of dinosaur, but rather that birds developed from pterosaurs. The... more

ABSTRACT

The current mainstream thinking is that birds developed from coelurosaur dinosaurs. A credible alternative is that birds did not develop from any kind of dinosaur, but rather that birds developed from pterosaurs.

The proposal is that long-bony-tailed basal pterosaurs (eg. Rhamphorhynchidae) developed into long-bony-tailed feathered basal Paraves (eg. dromaeosaurs, basal avialans) which then developed into short-tailed feathered birds (Pygostylia). Which then developed into modern birds (Aves).
(The last two steps are already mainstream thinking).

Let's look at what would be involved in a transition from basal pterosaur to basal Paraves. The analysis shows the following:

1. The pterosaur long wing finger (4th finger) would shorten.
2. The wing membrane would retract toward the wing bones.
3. The pterosaur protofeathers would develop into pennaceous feathers.
4. The pteroid bone would be lost.

Altogether not a great amount of change.

HISTORY
The idea that birds are descended from pterosaurs has an interesting history.
The idea was proposed by Harry Govier Seeley. But note the reaction he received. Not much has changed in that respect.

http://www.strangescience.net/seeley.htm
"In the early 1840s, Richard Owen established the Order of Dinosauria. Over the years, T.H. Huxley, E.D. Cope and O.C. Marsh attempted to further classify dinosaurs. But the lasting classification, not to mention challenge to Owen's order, came from H.G. Seeley.

Seeley was also an authority of pterosaurs, and in 1901 published a popular book on the subject, Dragons of the Air. In it, he gave an overview of animal flight, reptiles, the discovery of pterosaurs and pterosaur skeletal structure. He initially believed that birds descended from pterosaurs, but under intense criticism from his peers, backed off this assertion and argued that they shared common ancestry. "It would therefore appear from the vital community of structures with Birds, that Pterodactyles and Birds are two parallel groups, which may be regarded as ancient divergent forks of the same branch of animal life," he wrote.

It is a shame he was bullied out of his original insight.

More info here:
http://pterosaurnet.blogspot.com

I have set up a second paper to show an analysis of the dinosaur to bird theory.
"""""

""""""""""""ABSTRACT Here I cover the dinosaur to bird theory and show that it does not fly. Consider this chart: http://palaeos.com/systematics/cladistics/images/104Coelurosauria.png (Note that Paraves is labelled "Eumaniraptora"... more

""""""""""""ABSTRACT

Here I cover the dinosaur to bird theory and show that it does not fly.
Consider this chart:
http://palaeos.com/systematics/cladistics/images/104Coelurosauria.png
(Note that Paraves is labelled "Eumaniraptora" on this chart).

We need to begin by noting that the chart has things out of order. The Ornithomimosaurs, Therizinosaurs, Alvarezsaurids and Oviraptors are flightless birds and came later than (closer to today than) Paraves. On the chart, they should be to the right of Eumaniraptora (not the left).

Most people do not understand that the dino to bird theory depends completely on misclassifying the secondarily flightless birds. If from the beginning they had been understood as secondarily flightless, the dino to bird theory would never have gotten off the ground.
The only way anyone today can continue to believe the dino to bird theory, is by denying that they are secondarily flightless birds.

What this all means is that all the character changes on the line from Tyrannoraptora to Paraves, would have to have taken place in the claimed transition from Tyrannoraptora to Paraves. But there is ZERO fossil evidence of that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithomimosauria
Ornithomimosaurs
Temporal range: Early - Late Cretaceous, 140–65.5Ma
Gregory S. Paul has proposed that Ornithomimosauria might be a group of primitive, flightless birds, more advanced than Deinonychosauria and Oviraptorosauria.[9]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therizinosauria
Therizinosauria
Temporal range: Early–Late Cretaceous,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvarezsauria
Alvarezsaurs
Temporal range:
Late Jurassic-Late Cretaceous,
160–65.5Ma
The phylogenetic placement of Alvarezsauroid is still unclear. At first, they were interpreted as a sister group of Avialae (birds) or nested within the group Avialae [1] and considered to be flightless birds,[3] because they share many morphological characteristics with them, such as a loosely sutured skull, a keeled sternum, fused wrist elements, and a posteriorly directedpubis.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oviraptorosauria
Oviraptorosaurs
Temporal range: Cretaceous, 130–66Ma
Analyses like those of Maryanska et al (2002) and Osmólska et al. (2004) suggest that they may in fact represent primitive flightless birds.[5][6] """""""""""

More info here:
http://pterosaurnet.blogspot.com""

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- by Douglas Dobney
- •
- 7
  Paleontology, Dinosaur Paleontology, Avian Paleontology, Dinosaurs

Despite an extensive described fossil record of Galliformes (Aves:`landfowl'), very few specimens have been considered within a phylogenetic context. Here we present a cladistic analysis and description of a new, well-preserved and... more

On the basis of new information from the 10th specimen of Archaeopteryx, Mayr et al. (Reports, 2 December 2005, p. 1483) suggested that birds, or avian flight, originated twice. We investigate the statistical support for this phylogenetic... more

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- by Ian Corfe
- •
- 8
  Evolutionary Biology, Systematics (Taxonomy), Phylogenetics, Evolution

The taxonomy of the genus Scytalopus (Aves; Rhinocryptidae) is revised. Full descriptions of the 10 Ecuadorian taxa are given, with some indication of their annual cycle, and details of their vocalizations, habitats, and geographical... more

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- by Niels Krabbe
- •
- Bird evolution and taxonomy

We describe a striking new species of Grallaria antpitta from wet, upper subtropical forest in the upper Rio Chinchipe drainage, provincia Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador Notes on its natural history and molecular systematics are presented... more

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- by Niels Krabbe
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- Bird evolution and taxonomy

The avifauna of Indonesia is one of the richest in the world but the taxonomic status of many species remains poorly documented. The sole species of scops owl known from Lombok has long been assigned to the widespread Moluccan Scops Owl... more

Morphological variation is strongly related to variation in the ecological characteristics and evolutionary history of each taxon. To explore how geographical variation in morphology is related to different climatic gradients and... more

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- by Gala Cortes
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- 14
  Evolutionary Biology, Geography, Ornithology, Biogeography

Recently acquired tissue makes possible a first molecular assessment of the taxonomic position of the Soccoro Island endemic mimid Mimodes graysoni . Mitochondrial DNA sequence data from the ND-2 gene was analyzed using parsimony, maximum... more

Normally I would not write a written response to an article that I think makes false statements, but since I am directly mentioned in this one, I will take the time to respond. Since there are sections that are not directly aimed toward... more

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- by Jonathan J . Guzman
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- 4
  Dinosaurs, Birds, Bird evolution and taxonomy, Feathers

https://theconversation.com/new-research-reveals-the-origin-of-australias-extinct-flightless-giants-the-mihirung-birds-85394

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- by Michael Lee
- •
- 5
  Evolutionary Biology, Ornithology, Birds, Bird evolution and taxonomy

A record of Amur Falcon at Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, India.

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- by MANOJ SHARMA
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- 20
  Ornithology, Bird (Ornithology), Birds (Ecology), Mammals

Morphological variation is strongly related to variation in the ecological characteristics and evolutionary history of each taxon. To explore how geographical variation in morphology is related to different climatic gradients and... more

Fossils of pelagornithids (bony-toothed birds) have been reported from strata of Paleocene to Pliocene age, and from every continent. The extreme fragility of pelagornithid bones has no doubt contributed to their geographically and... more

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The duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is one of the principal natural hosts of influenza A viruses. We present the duck genome sequence and perform deep transcriptome analyses to investigate immune-related genes. Our data indicate that the duck... more

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- by Alain Vignal
- •
- 19
  Bioinformatics, Animal Science, Animal Studies, Biotechnology

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- by Frederique Pitel and +4
  Hakim Tafer
  Stephanie Kehr
  Jacqueline Smith
  Laurie Goodman
- •
- 75
  History, Bioinformatics, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics

Bird evolution and taxonomy

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