Crown group (neornithine birds) exhibit a great variation in the morphology of the
hypotarsus, a structure on the proximal end of the tarsometatarsus, which guides the …

In the 25 years since the first DNA sequences were obtained from the extinct moa, ancient
DNA analyses have significantly advanced our understanding of New Zealand's unique …

The ability of lineages to disperse over evolutionary timescales may be influenced by the
gain or loss of traits after adaptation to new ecological conditions. For example, rails (Aves …

Abstract The rails (Family Rallidae) are the most diverse and widespread group in the
Gruiformes. Their extensive fossil history, global geographic distribution, and tendency to …

Adaptation to an aquatic lifestyle occurred in the evolution of several primarily terrestrial
clades of tetrapods. Among these lineages, aquatic birds' adaptations differ in many ways …

Pellornis mikkelseni is an early gruiform from the latest Paleocene-earliest Eocene Fur
Formation of Denmark. At approximately 54 million years old, it is among the earliest clear …

The integration of state-of-the-art molecular techniques and analyses, together with a broad
taxonomic sampling, can provide new insights into bird interrelationships and divergence …

The webbed feet of waterbirds are morphologically diverse and classified into four types: the
palmate foot, semipalmate foot, totipalmate foot, and lobate foot. To understand the …

The recently extinct New Zealand adzebills (Aptornithidae, Aptornis spp.) were an enigmatic
group of large flightless birds that have long eluded precise taxonomic assignment as they …

Abstract Rails (Aves: Rallidae) are renowned for their extreme dispersal capability, which
has given rise to numerous island lineages. Many insular species lost the ability to fly as a …