A new study from the University of Cape Town has shown that fossil relatives of ostriches and emus had a remarkable foraging ecology that was more like that of the Hadeda Ibis than their giant flightless living relatives. What is even more fascinating is that they may have inherited this unique ‘sixth sense’ from their non-avian dinosaur relatives.
The fossil birds we studied were the lithornithids, whose name means ‘stone birds’. These ancient birds co-existed with non-avian dinosaurs more than 65 million years ago and survived the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event that killed off all dinosaurs except for birds. The lithornithids are the earliest members of the paleognathous clade of birds, the group of birds that are sometimes also known as ratites. It includes ostriches, emus and the kiwis from New Zealand, as well as the gigantic, extinct Elephantbirds and moas. The lithornithids went extinct about 40 million years ago, but based on fossil material from North America and Europe, we know that they were roughly the size and shape of oystercatchers, were able to fly and lived in and around wetlands like modern wading birds (for example rails and ibises).
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Esta historia es de la edición March/April 2021 de African Birdlife.
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footloose IN FYNBOS
The Walker Bay Diversity Trail is a leisurely hike with a multitude of flowers, feathers and flavours along the way.
water & WINGS
WATER IS LIFE. As wildlife photographer Greg du Toit knows better than most.
winter wanderer
as summer becomes a memory in the south, the skies are a little quieter as the migrants have returned to the warming north. But one bird endemic to the southern African region takes its own little winter journey.
when perfect isn't enough
Egg signatures and forgeries in the cuckoo-drongo arms race
Southern SIGHTINGS
The late summer period naturally started quietening down after the midsummer excitement, but there were still some classy rarities on offer for birders all over the subregion. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.
prey for penguins
To stem the African Penguin's slide to extinction, government support for optimal no-take zones around South Africa's penguin colonies is critical.
agrochemicals and birds
By the year 2050, it is estimated that 171 million more hectares of agricultural land will be needed to feed a global population of 10 billion people.
arrivals and departures
The Mouse-Free Marion Project is committed to ensuring that breeding seabirds can return to a predator-free Marion Island.
MIDRAND marvel
Gauteng birders don't need to travel far to get their feathery fix. Midway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, Glen Austin Pan has become a favourite patch for this returnee expat.
a journey through the mysteries of moult
As a bird researcher in South Africa’s botanically diverse fynbos biome, I have come to regard bird ringing as part of my journey to understanding moult.
