Birds are one of the most recognizable and diverse groups of modern vertebrates. Over the
past two decades, a wealth of new fossil discoveries and phylogenetic and …

Background The origin of birds is one of the most enduring and dramatic evolutionary
debates. The hypothesis that the primarily small-sized birds are nested within a theropod …

Vertebrate palaeontology is a lively field, with new discoveries reported every week... and
not only dinosaurs! This new edition reflects the international scope of vertebrate …

Uncertainties in the phylogeny of birds (Avialae) and their closest relatives have impeded
deeper understanding of early theropod flight. To help address this, we produced an …

Bird flight is a remarkable adaptation that has allowed the approximately 10 000 extant
species to colonize all terrestrial habitats on earth including high elevations, polar regions …

Asymmetrical feathers have been associated with flight capability but are also found in
species that do not fly, and their appearance was a major event in feather evolution. Among …

As a fundamental ecological aspect of most organisms, locomotor function significantly
constrains morphology. At the same time, the evolution of novel locomotor abilities has …

The famous 'feathered dinosaurs' from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province,
northeastern China, include several dromaeosaurids, which are among the closest relatives …

This research numerically investigates the flapping motion effect on the flow around two
subsonic airfoils near a ground wall. Thus far, the aerodynamic efficiency of the dragonfly …

This chapter will cover clade definitions, the relationships within clades as well as the
occasional controversial relationships between different clades. Phylogenies arising from a …