Geological History of birds - recommend? (1 Viewer)

In my professional life I'm a "biostratigrapher/micropaleontologist" - a bit of a mouthful but essentially I'm a geologist whose speciality is the ordering of rock layers based on the fossils they contain and ultimately the synthesising of biological and geological events in earth history. My work is carried out primarily for the oil & gas industry and the most common fossils used are microscopic organisms or other marine invertebrates.

Birdwatching, for me, is a new interest completely separate from my work life, but I'd like to understand more about the geological evolution and history of birds - the main taxonomic groupings, evolutionary phases etc. I'm sure there's a book(s) out there that cover this topic - can anyone please recommend one?

I'd be particularly intested in one which dovetails the geological history of birds into the current classification of living and recently extinct birds.

Thanks!

PS - if it helps I can also get access to, and obtain, journal articles etc. if actual books are hard to come by.

If you do not get an answer here, then repeating the question in this section of birdforum might help: http://www.birdforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=720 (and I think you want to know about that section anyway)

Niels

Thanks Niels - I completely missed that one (some observational scientist I am! |:$| )

The Speciation and Biogeography of Birds by Ian Newton might be of interest. There's a lot in there about how geological history has influenced current bird distribution patterns.

Thanks Murray, I will certainly check it out.