Bird Tree Of Life

[Scylla]

I wasn't sure if this belonged here or in fossil documents or web links, but here is the family tree for every bird since the cretaceous!

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-10/infographic-new-family-tree-depicts-evolution-all-birds-dinosaurs-until-now

[Auspex]

I'll have to look into having this printed on a T-shirt

Now, about those Mesozoic birds...

[jpc]

Interseting, but I'd barely say it incorpoartes the Cretaceous; I don't see any Cretaceous or Eocene groups in there... Hesperornthiformes, Confuciusornis, Lithornithids, etc. Looks like a more Holocene bird phylogeny with a bit of a molecular time scale thrown in.

Complaint: The author says this:

"Biologists have long thought the tropics would play host to the greatest range of speciation. After all, that’s where you find

." I ask... what in the world does the existence of birds of paradise have to do with speciation? NOTHING! A fine example of shoddy science reporting.

Thanks for listening

[Auspex]

Interseting, but I'd barely say it incorpoartes the Cretaceous; I don't see any Cretaceous or Eocene groups in there... Hesperornthiformes, Confuciusornis, Lithornithids, etc. Looks like a more Holocene bird phylogeny with a bit of a molecular time scale thrown in.

Complaint: The author says this:

"Biologists have long thought the tropics would play host to the greatest range of speciation. After all, that’s where you find

." I ask... what in the world does the existence of birds of paradise have to do with speciation? NOTHING! A fine example of shoddy science reporting.

Thanks for listening

It starts with extant avifauna, and backtracks; no extinct Families are named, just implied in the 'roots'.

[ashcraft]

I would like to read this article, I asume they only place available is Nature?

Brent Ashcraft

[AgrilusHunter]

Now THAT'S a phylogeny! I especially like the combination histogram and color scale for diversification rate. Genius!