New research by a global team of scientists has resulted in significant strides in ornithological classification and identified possible causes of diversity among modern bird species.
New research by a global team of scientists has resulted in significant strides in ornithological classification and identified possible causes of diversity among modern bird species.
The study, coauthored by researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focuses on perching birds, or passerines. Comprised of over 6,000 species, this group—which constitutes over half of all known bird species—includes familiar birds such as robins, jays, bluebirds, finches, and sparrows.
Scientists analyzed genetic samples and fossils of all major groups within the passerine family to better understand the way these species are related. The large data set allowed for much more accurate inferences into the development of perching birds.
Read more at University of Tennessee
Photo: A cape sugarbird. CREDIT: Daniel Field.
