bird evolution sources (1 Viewer)

Tero

Retired

• Mar 24, 2004

• #1

I was looking for books a month back, did not find anything really exciting. Mostly on the academic side.

This web site has some good articles
http://www.dinosauria.com/jdp/jdp.htm

 

cuckooroller

Registered User

• Mar 24, 2004

• #2

Tero said:

I was looking for books a month back, did not find anything really exciting. Mostly on the academic side.

This web site has some good articles
http://www.dinosauria.com/jdp/jdp.htm

Click to expand...

Some more stuff.

http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/dinos/de_4/index.htm
http://b.webring.com/hub?ring=paleoring
http://dino.lm.com/pages/

 

pigsonthewing

Well-known member

• Mar 24, 2004

• #3

Tero said:

I was looking for books a month back, did not find anything really exciting.

Click to expand...

Try this:

http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/reviews/dino.htm

 

Tero

Retired

• Mar 24, 2004

• #4

Yes, Andy, I should have been more specific. I wanted a book that covered the evolution thru modern birds. The various theories of first bird evolution are interesting, but most are pretty speculative.

It is an interesting topic, why would a four legged creature give up its arms for wings?

 

V

very boring banned member

New member

• Mar 24, 2004

• #5

Another branch to this question: What is the most advanced bird?

 

Charles Harper

Régisseur

• Mar 24, 2004

• #6

Is there another choice besides corvids? What do you mean, `advanced`? Like `advanced weaponry`?

 

V

very boring banned member

New member

• Mar 24, 2004

• #7

Charles Harper said:

Is there another choice besides corvids? What do you mean, `advanced`? Like `advanced weaponry`?

Click to expand...

Yes there is another choice, maybe even several: what do You mean by advanced - make Your choice?
Eg. it can be stated that Cyanobacteria are the most evolved creatures - at least they have had the longest time...

 

Charles Harper

Régisseur

• Mar 24, 2004

• #8

.. you said bird, not bacteria..

 

V

very boring banned member

New member

• Mar 24, 2004

• #9

I just meant that there can be also other criteria for the most advanced bird than that it can count to seven.

 

Charles Harper

Régisseur

• Mar 24, 2004

• #10

.... and? those are? Don`t be coy-- at your age, you can`t afford it!

 

V

very boring banned member

New member

• Mar 24, 2004

• #11

Ugh. Now, think what the birds are about, for a start...

 

Michael Frankis

conehead

• Mar 25, 2004

• #12

In theory, the most advanced life forms are the ones with the shortest generation time - they've gone through the largest number of evolution opportunities.

Somehow I doubt it works quite like that in practice.

Michael

 

V

very boring banned member

New member

• Mar 25, 2004

• #13

According to that, the ultimate bird would be Erithacus rubecula with average life span of one year? Or Columba livia with several broods per year, also occasionally in finnish almost-winter?

 

Charles Harper

Régisseur

• Mar 25, 2004

• #14

I see what you mean, Michael, but that goes against the ideas of K-selection vs. r-selection, where the theory is that the most successful species require the fewest offspring.

Shortest generation time may mean nothing more than fewest genes.

 

V

very boring banned member

New member

• Mar 25, 2004

• #15

Which bird has then the longest generation span? Some albatross?

 

Tero

Retired

• May 5, 2004

• #16

I was surprised to find this one
The Origin and Evolution of Birds
Alan Feduccia
Paperback - 2ND ILLUS, April 1999
$32.00

on the bookstore shelves. It is OK, readable for us amateurs. I skipped over most of the familiar but speculative early stuff, but there certainly were many attempts at flight. The opposite birds, with leg bones fused a different way than modern birds, took over the cretaceous period. A few birds might have survived the extinction event to the cenozoic, but even they have some relation to modern birds.

With the vacuum in nature allowed birds and mammals to fill every niche then in the cenozoic period. There is quite a bit more detail than I imagined. Few feathers have survived as fossils, though.

Some bird encyclopedias do discuss the natural history of birds in a few pages. This is a lot to read, I have read maybe 50 pages so far.

 

mike coleman

BF Irregular

• May 5, 2004

• #17

Karwin said:

Which bird has then the longest generation span? Some albatross?

Click to expand...

In Europe, it is Puffinus puffinus.

 

Tero

Retired

• Nov 21, 2004

• #18

Here is a link that might lead to some actua articles>
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-01/uoc--nto012902.php

The issue of nests is certrainly going to be involved in the story of flight. The nests in trees may have played a key role for passerines.

Did ground nesters evolve from tree nesters? As they could now fly, they could reach remote islands and rocky cliffs lackin mammals.