New discoveries about birds

Although birds are among the most studied animals, scientists have discovered a new series of surprising information about them, based on an evolutionary tree analysis.

Interesting findings about birds

The results of this five-year study are so much so that the scientific names of dozens of bird species will have to change in biological books and in guides for visitors.

"With this study, we draw two important things. First, looks can be deceptive. Similar birds or similar actions are not necessarily relatives. Second, most The classification of birds and their long-standing understanding of their evolutionary relationship are false, " said researcher Sushma Reddy, from the Field Museum in Chicago.

Thanks to this research, here are new things you may not know about:

1. Hummingbirds, bright day birds, evolved from drab night birds called nightjars .

2. Perching birds (they are the largest living bird, including the patriarch bird, gold, crows, rags, gnats, etc.) are the closest relatives to parrots and falcons.

3. Flamingos and some water birds, such as diving birds and tropical seabirds, are not evolved from waterbirds. This shows that birds have become accustomed to life in the country many times.

Hummingbirds.(Photo: flickr.com)

4. Woodpeckers, hawks, owls and hornbills look very different, but they are all close relatives of perching birds.

5. Vultures , formerly considered relatives of storks, are actually members of a group called land birds.

6. The eagle is not a close relative of hawks and eagles, as previously thought.

7. Shorebird is not the most primitive bird (or at the base of an evolutionary tree, as biologists like to call). This rejects the long-standing popular view that they have given rise to all modern birds.

8. Owls, parrots and doves have very few intermediate morphological characteristics linking them to a clearly defined group of birds, making it very difficult for scientists to determine their evolutionary relationship. .

9. Tropical seabirds do not have relatives with pelicans and waterbirds. In fact, the bird's life style, such as eating the night, eating the day or going to the sea, has evolved several times, not just in a family group.

10. Birds have a complex evolutionary history after a number of species outbreaks occurred about 65 to 100 million years ago.

11. The sparrow finches also know how to "hang out" when drunk.

12. Penguins have existed for a long time, before humans. Their ancestors were found about 70 million years ago while human ancestors were 2 million years.