//www.koonmotors.com/news/fossils_ruins/early_birds/ Read about the evolution of avian species. How did the earliest birds evolve? Science articles and pictures. en-us Thu, 07 Sep 2023 22:54:45 EDT Thu, 07 Sep 2023 22:54:45 EDT 60 //www.koonmotors.com/images/scidaily-logo-rss.png//www.koonmotors.com/news/fossils_ruins/early_birds/ For more science news, visit ScienceDaily. //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230719112651.htm Did the pterosaurs, flying reptiles from the days of the dinosaurs, practice parental care or not? New research shows that pterosaurs were indeed caring parents -- but only the larger species. Wed, 19 Jul 2023 11:26:51 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230719112651.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230705154016.htm Birds are the only group of dinosaurs that survived the asteroid-induced mass extinction 66 million years ago. But not all the birds alive at the time made it. Why the ancestors of modern birds lived while so many of their relatives died has been a mystery that paleontologists have been trying to solve for decades. Two new studies point to one possible factor: the differences between how modern birds and their ancient cousins molt their feathers. Wed, 05 Jul 2023 15:40:16 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230705154016.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230623161208.htm The Bachman's warbler, a songbird that was last seen in North America nearly 40 years ago, was a distinct species and not a hybrid of its two living sister species, according a new study in which the full genomes of seven museum specimens of the bird were sequenced. Fri, 23 Jun 2023 16:12:08 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230623161208.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230522131341.htm Understanding that others hold different viewpoints from your own is essential for human sociality. Adopting another person's visual perspective is a complex skill that emerges around the age of two. A new study suggests that this ability first arose in dinosaurs, at least 60 million years before it appeared in mammals. These findings challenge the idea that mammals were the originators of novel and superior forms of intelligence in the wake of the dinosaur extinction. Mon, 22 May 2023 13:13:41 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230522131341.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230417155711.htm New fossils in amber have revealed that beetles fed on the feathers of dinosaurs about 105 million years ago, showing a symbiotic relationship of one-sided or mutual benefit. Mon, 17 Apr 2023 15:57:11 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230417155711.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230403162635.htm An international research team has determined that Troodon, a dinosaur very close to modern birds, was a warm-blooded animal (an endotherm), but had a reproductive system similar to that of modern reptiles. The scientists applied a new method which allowed for accurate determination of the temperature when the egg's carbonate shell was formed. Furthermore, the researchers showed that Troodon laid 4 to 6 eggs per clutch. As nests with up to 24 Troodon eggs had been found, the scientists conclude that several Troodon females laid their eggs in communal nests. Mon, 03 Apr 2023 16:26:35 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230403162635.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230208125147.htm Scientists have compared the relationship among the strength of flight bones, body mass, and the way modern birds fly to better understand the evolution of flight in birds and extinct animals, such as the Pteranodon. Wed, 08 Feb 2023 12:51:47 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230208125147.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230118195852.htm The discovery of more than 250 fossilized eggs reveals intimate details about the lives of titanosaurs in the Indian subcontinent, according to a new study. Wed, 18 Jan 2023 19:58:52 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230118195852.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230112155821.htm A study is providing a glimpse into dinosaur and bird diversity in Patagonia during the Late Cretaceous, just before the non-avian dinosaurs went extinct. The fossils represent the first record of theropods -- a dinosaur group that includes both modern birds and their closest non-avian dinosaur relatives -- from the Chilean portion of Patagonia. The researchers' finds include giant megaraptors with large sickle-like claws and birds similar to todays ducks and geese. Thu, 12 Jan 2023 15:58:21 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230112155821.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221221121310.htm Microraptor was an opportunistic predator, feeding on fish, birds, lizards -- and now small mammals. The discovery of a rare fossil reveals the creature was a generalist carnivore in the ancient ecosystem of dinosaurs. Wed, 21 Dec 2022 12:13:10 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221221121310.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221207142210.htm Dinosaurs dominated the world right up until a deadly asteroid hit the earth, leading to their mass extinction, some 66 million years ago, a landmark study reveals. Fresh insights into dinosaurs' ecosystems -- the habitats and food types that supported their lives -- suggests that their environments were robust and thriving, right up until that fateful day, at the end of the Cretaceous period. Wed, 07 Dec 2022 14:22:10 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221207142210.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221130114507.htm Fossilized fragments of a skeleton, hidden within a rock the size of a grapefruit, have helped upend one of the longest-standing assumptions about the origins of modern birds. Wed, 30 Nov 2022 11:45:07 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221130114507.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221125132257.htm A new study finds that bird species with extreme or uncommon combinations of traits face the highest risk of extinction. Fri, 25 Nov 2022 13:22:57 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221125132257.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221101152004.htm For a species of flycatcher in the remote Solomon Islands, scientists have so far found at least two genetic pathways leading to the same physical outcome: all-black feathers. This change was no random accident. It was a result of nature specifically selecting for this trait. Tue, 01 Nov 2022 15:20:04 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221101152004.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221024153616.htm Piecing together the crushed skull of a fossil bird that lived alongside the dinosaurs helped researchers extrapolate what its brain would have looked like: big olfactory bulbs would have meant that this bird, the earliest known animal to eat fruit, had a better sense of smell than most modern birds. And the bones around its eye sockets revealed that it would have been better at seeing by day than at night. Mon, 24 Oct 2022 15:36:16 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221024153616.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220907133141.htm 1 in 5 adult female white-necked jacobin hummingbirds look like males. New research shows that this is a rare case of 'deceptive mimicry' within a species: Females with male-like plumage are trying to pass themselves off as males, and as a result receive a benefit in the form of reduced aggression from males. Wed, 07 Sep 2022 13:31:41 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220907133141.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/07/220719091152.htm Australia's first fossil vulture has been confirmed more than 100 years after it was first described as an eagle. The discovery highlights the diversity of Australian megafauna and other animals many thousands of years ago in the Pleistocene period. Tue, 19 Jul 2022 09:11:52 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/07/220719091152.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220608142951.htm Using radio transmitters, scientists have gained new insights into the behavior of medium ground finches in the Galapagos Islands. A study reveals daily movement patterns covering an area equivalent to the size of 30 soccer fields. Wed, 08 Jun 2022 14:29:51 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220608142951.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220601111749.htm New research suggests that determining evolutionary trees of organisms by comparing anatomy rather than gene sequences is misleading. The study shows that we often need to overturn centuries of scholarly work that classified living things according to how they look. Wed, 01 Jun 2022 11:17:49 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220601111749.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/05/220525110846.htm Paleontologists have debated whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded, like modern mammals and birds, or cold-blooded, like modern reptiles. In a new paper, scientists are unveiling a new method for studying dinosaurs' metabolic rates, using clues in their bones. Wed, 25 May 2022 11:08:46 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/05/220525110846.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/05/220525102937.htm Scientists settle debate surrounding species that laid eggs exploited by early Australian people around 50,000 years ago. Shell proteins point to Genyornis, which was among the 'mega-fauna' to go extinct a few thousand years after humans arrived on the continent. Wed, 25 May 2022 10:29:37 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/05/220525102937.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/05/220520073154.htm Researchers shed light on the way Quetzalcoatlus would have flown, finding that the dinosaur's flying dynamics were actually very different to how it has been depicted in popular culture. Fri, 20 May 2022 07:31:54 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/05/220520073154.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/04/220421094104.htm Crows and ravens have great flying ability, which allows them to gain access to new places more easily. While these skills were key to their success, new research also shows that big bodies and big brains played an important role in helping crows and ravens survive in the new climates they occupied. Thu, 21 Apr 2022 09:41:04 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/04/220421094104.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/04/220420133623.htm Palaeontologists have discovered remarkable new evidence that pterosaurs, the flying relatives of dinosaurs, were able to control the color of their feathers using melanin pigments. Wed, 20 Apr 2022 13:36:23 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/04/220420133623.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/04/220414110831.htm The first large-scale study of its kind has uncovered more than 4,000 years' worth of distinctive foraging behavior in a species once driven to the brink of extinction. Thu, 14 Apr 2022 11:08:31 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/04/220414110831.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/04/220408142957.htm One of the most contentious questions in evolutionary biology is, how did the Amazon become so rich in species? A new study focused on birds examines how the movements of rivers in the Amazon have contributed to that area's exceptional biological diversity. The researchers found that as small river systems change over time, they spur the evolution of new species. The findings also reveal previously unknown bird species in the Amazon that are only found in small areas next to these dynamic river systems, putting them at high risk. Fri, 08 Apr 2022 14:29:57 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/04/220408142957.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220310095944.htm Much of a centuries-old debate over where and how new bird species form has now been resolved. Researchers have provided evidence that birds in mountainous areas -- where the vast majority of the planet's species live -- have left lowland habitats for higher and higher mountain elevations throughout their evolution. Millions of years of climatic fluctuations have contributed to pushing bird species upslope -- as is probably happening now. Thu, 10 Mar 2022 09:59:44 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220310095944.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/02/220224091129.htm New research uncovers the negative link between flight-worthiness and fight-worthiness in birds. Evolutionary pressure demanded that birds could either fly or arm themselves -- but not both. Furthermore, the new research suggests that developing wings and not bony spurs involved both sexual and natural selection. This insight helps us better understand how the enormous diversity of life and earth came to be. Thu, 24 Feb 2022 09:11:29 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/02/220224091129.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/02/220218100721.htm Two new species of fossil birds that lived alongside the dinosaurs have ben discovered near the Great Wall of China. One of the new species had a sensitive, movable bony appendage at the tip of its lower jaw that it might have used to find food. 星期五,2022年2月18日10:07:21 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/02/220218100721.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/02/220211102724.htm Scientists have discovered the first evidence of a unique respiratory infection in the fossilized remains of a dinosaur that lived nearly 150 million years ago. Researchers examined the remains of an immature diplodocid -- a long-necked herbivorous sauropod dinosaur, like 'Brontosaurus' - dating back to the Late Jurassic Period of the Mesozoic Era. The dinosaur nicknamed 'Dolly,' discovered in southwest Montana, had evidence of an infection in the area of its neck vertebrae. Fri, 11 Feb 2022 10:27:24 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/02/220211102724.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/12/211221133521.htm A 72 to 66-million-year-old embryo found inside a fossilized dinosaur egg sheds new light on the link between the behavior of modern birds and dinosaurs, according to a new study. Tue, 21 Dec 2021 13:35:21 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/12/211221133521.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/12/211213121837.htm The evolutionary origin of endothermy (the ability to maintain a warm body and higher energy levels than reptiles), currently believed to have originated separately in birds and mammals, could have occurred nearly 300 million years ago. Mon, 13 Dec 2021 12:18:37 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/12/211213121837.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/12/211209201651.htm A study finds that there is a 50 percent chance that the common ancestor of birds and dinosaurs had bright colors on its skin, beaks and scales, but 0 percent chance that it had bright colors on its feathers or claws. Thu, 09 Dec 2021 20:16:51 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/12/211209201651.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/12/211208090029.htm Though discovered more than 45 years ago, fossils of Earth's largest flying animal, Quetzalcoatlus, were never thoroughly analyzed. Now, a scientific team provides the most complete picture yet of this dinosaur relative, its environment and behavior. The pterosaur, with a 40-foot wingspan, walked with a unique gait, but otherwise filled a niche much like herons today. The researchers dispel ideas that it ate carrion and walked like a vampire bat. Wed, 08 Dec 2021 09:00:29 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/12/211208090029.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/11/211110145413.htm Human-caused bird extinctions are driving losses of functional diversity on islands worldwide, and the gaps they leave behind are not being filled by introduced (alien) species, finds a new study. Wed, 10 Nov 2021 14:54:13 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/11/211110145413.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/11/211108114814.htm The flying reptiles known as pterosaurs are the closest relatives of dinosaurs and were the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight. However, many details of pterosaur flight anatomy and performance are still unclear. According to a new study pterosaurs evolved a muscular wing-body junction to reduce drag and improve flight performance. Mon, 08 Nov 2021 11:48:14 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/11/211108114814.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/09/210930140735.htm The first 3D reconstructions of extinct Cretaceous birds reveal a reptilian tooth replacement pattern. Thu, 30 Sep 2021 14:07:35 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/09/210930140735.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/09/210927150526.htm As early as 18,000 years ago, humans in New Guinea may have collected cassowary eggs near maturity and then raised the birds to adulthood, according to an international team of scientists, who used eggshells to determine the developmental stage of the ancient embryos/chicks when the eggs cracked. Mon, 27 Sep 2021 15:05:26 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/09/210927150526.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/09/210916114528.htm Peacock tails are just one example of how evolution walks a line between favoring traits that make it easier to survive, and traits that make it easier to find a mate. In a new study, scientists have found evidence of this age-old conundrum in the form of a fossil bird from the Early Cretaceous with a pair of elaborate tail feathers longer than its body. Thu, 16 Sep 2021 11:45:28 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/09/210916114528.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/09/210902174636.htm Bird dispersal movements are thought to depend on complex demographic and genetic factors. Researchers show that there may be a simpler explanation: bird dispersal distances depend on the morphology and flight efficiency of the wings. Bird populations and the capacity of species to move across the landscape can determine which species will thrive and which may become endangered. Thu, 02 Sep 2021 17:46:36 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/09/210902174636.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/09/210902124919.htm The rise and fall of Earth's land surface over the last three million years shaped the evolution of birds and mammals, a new study has found, with new species evolving at higher rates where the land has risen most. Thu, 02 Sep 2021 12:49:19 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/09/210902124919.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/08/210811113120.htm A new study has revealed that over the last 20,000 to 50,000 years, birds have undergone a major extinction event, inflicted chiefly by humans, which caused the disappearance of about 10 to 20 percent of all avian species. According to the researchers, the vast majority of the extinct species shared several features: they were large, they lived on islands, and many of them were flightless. Wed, 11 Aug 2021 11:31:20 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/08/210811113120.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/07/210730165436.htm 研究一种新发现的鸟类化石发现that a unique brain shape may be why the ancestors of living birds survived the mass extinction that claimed all other known dinosaurs. Fri, 30 Jul 2021 16:54:36 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/07/210730165436.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/07/210722112856.htm Newly-hatched pterosaurs may have been able to fly but their flying abilities may have been different from adult pterosaurs, according to a new study. Researchers found that hatchling humerus bones were stronger than those of many adult pterosaurs, indicating that they would have been strong enough for flight. Thu, 22 Jul 2021 11:28:56 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/07/210722112856.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/07/210720114427.htm New findings from zoologists working with birds in Southeast Asia are shining fresh light on the connections between animal behaviour, geology, and evolution - underlining that species can diversify surprisingly quickly under certain conditions. Sulawesi Babblers (Pellorneum celebense), shy birds that live in the undergrowth on Indonesian islands, have begun to diverge quite significantly despite being separated geographically for mere tens of thousands of years. Tue, 20 Jul 2021 11:44:27 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/07/210720114427.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/06/210607161043.htm Ancient chickens lived significantly longer than their modern equivalents because they were seen as sacred -- not food -- archaeologists have found. Mon, 07 Jun 2021 16:10:43 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/06/210607161043.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/05/210513123934.htm Free from human disturbance for a century, an inland island in Central America has nevertheless lost more than 25% of its native bird species since its creation as part of the Panama Canal's construction, and scientists say the losses continue. Thu, 13 May 2021 12:39:34 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/05/210513123934.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/05/210506142111.htm If paleontologists had a wish list, it would almost certainly include insights into two particular phenomena: how dinosaurs interacted with each other and how they began to fly. Thu, 06 May 2021 14:21:11 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/05/210506142111.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/03/210329153328.htm Ancient Egyptians mummified cats, dogs, ibises and other animals, but closer to home in the South American Atacama desert, parrot mummies reveal that between 1100 and 1450 CE, trade from other areas brought parrots and macaws to oasis communities, according to an international and interdisciplinary team. Mon, 29 Mar 2021 15:33:28 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/03/210329153328.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/03/210325115407.htm Feathers, an owl head and oars suggest the people in this Iron Age grave were prepared for a long journey. Thu, 25 Mar 2021 11:54:07 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/03/210325115407.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/03/210324094714.htm The largest flightless bird ever to live weighed in up to 600kg and had a whopping head about half a meter long - but its brain was squeezed for space. Dromornis stirtoni, the largest of the 'mihirungs' (an Aboriginal word for 'giant bird'), stood up to 3m and had a cranium wider and higher than it was long due to a powerful big beak, leading Australian palaeontologists to look inside its brain space to see how it worked. Wed, 24 Mar 2021 09:47:14 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/03/210324094714.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/03/210316214636.htm In a genetic surprise, ancient DNA shows the closest family members of an extinct bird known as the Haitian cave-rail are not in the Americas, but Africa and the South Pacific, uncovering an unexpected link between Caribbean bird life and the Old World. Tue, 16 Mar 2021 21:46:36 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/03/210316214636.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/02/210219083848.htm The fossil of a bird that lived alongside the dinosaurs was found with some sort of rocks in its stomach. Previously, researchers thought that these rocks were swallowed on purpose to help clean its stomach, like modern birds of prey do, giving a hint at its diet. But in a new study, scientists discovered that these rocks are quartz crystals that likely formed after the bird died -- its diet is still a mystery. Fri, 19 Feb 2021 08:38:48 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/02/210219083848.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/02/210209151837.htm 爱或恨,毫无疑问欧洲ean Starling is a wildly successful bird. A new study examines this non-native species from the inside out to learn what exactly happened at the genetic level as the starling population exploded across North America? Tue, 09 Feb 2021 15:18:37 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/02/210209151837.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/02/210204143950.htm 这篇文章表明,黑色素多汁液t something that gives colour to the body. It played an important role in the evolution of warm-blooded animals and helped defined what birds and mammals look like today. By studying where melanin occurs in the body in fossils and modern animals researchers have produced the first model for how melanin has evolved over the last 500 million years. Thu, 04 Feb 2021 14:39:50 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/02/210204143950.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/01/210107112134.htm Three studies uncovered the unusual sex chromosomes of platypus, emu and Pekin duck. Platypus have five pairs of sex chromosomes forming an unusual chain shape, while the sex chromosomes of emu and duck are not as different between sexes as those of human. Thu, 07 Jan 2021 11:21:34 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/01/210107112134.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/01/210107083751.htm New research explains how a 'stop-start' pattern of evolution, governed by environmental change, could explain why crocodiles have changed so little since the age of the dinosaurs. Thu, 07 Jan 2021 08:37:51 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/01/210107083751.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/12/201214192349.htm Scientists have found the most elaborately dressed-to-impress dinosaur ever described and say it sheds new light on how birds such as peacocks inherited their ability to show off. Mon, 14 Dec 2020 19:23:49 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/12/201214192349.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/12/201209115201.htm Molting is thought to be unorganized in the first feathered dinosaurs because they had yet to evolve flight, so determining how molting evolved can lead to better understanding of flight origins. Recently researchers discovered that the earliest record of feather molting from the famous early fossil bird Archaeopteryx found in southern Germany in rocks that used to be tropical lagoons ~150 million years ago. Wed, 09 Dec 2020 11:52:01 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/12/201209115201.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/12/201203133915.htm Bird species that have lost the ability to fly through evolution have become extinct more often than birds that have retained their ability to fly, according to new research. Thu, 03 Dec 2020 13:39:15 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/12/201203133915.htm