A comprehensive review of the hundreds of bird species that have become extinct over the
last 1,000 years of habitat degradation, over-hunting and rat introduction. Extinct Birds has …

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 …

The living and extinct flightless rails of the Pacific are among the most species-rich examples
of parallel evolution in vertebrates. The “typical” rails of this region comprise a diverse …

Five new species of recently extinct rails from two Macaronesian archipelagoes (Madeira
and Azores) are described. All the species are smaller in size than their presumed ancestor …

Data are presented on the standard energetics of six flighted and five flightless species of
rails (Aves: Rallidae). The factors influencing these data and those from three additional …

The avifauna of the Teouma archaeological site on Efate in Vanuatu is described. It derives
from the Lapita levels (3,000–2,800 ybp) and immediately overlying middens extending to∼ …

Prior to the extinction wave that followed the human colonization of Oceania, flightless rails
(Aves: Rallidae) were among the largest radiations of island birds, and perhaps the most …

Complex features, such as vision, limbs, and flight, have been lost by many groups of
animals. Some groups of birds are more prone to loss of flight than others, but few studies …

Copyright Michael R. Dickison 2007 Page 1 Copyright Michael R. Dickison 2007 Page 2 e
Allometry of Giant Flightless Birds by Michael R . Dickison Department of Biology Duke …

The Austral Islands in French Polynesia have a depauperate land bird fauna and until
recently have been little investigated archaeologically or paleontologically to know whether …