1. Origin & Evolution Orders of the day Rheiformes Struthioniformes
Casuariiformes
Velociraptor mongolensis

2. RATITES (from Latin Ratitus = flat)
Primative (paleognathus palate)
Flightless birds lacking a keel on the sternum
Keel

3. RATITES
Rheas, ostriches, cassowaries, kiwis and the recently extinct Moas of New Zealand and Elephant Birds of Madagascar

4. Large Flightless Birds
Elephant Bird
New Zealand Moas
Ostrich, Emu, etc.

5. Darwin’s (or Lesser) Rhea
Rheiformes
Two species
Greater Rhea
Darwin’s (or Lesser) Rhea
Head height 1.7 m, mass 25 kg
3 toes
Grass & leaf eaters
South American steppes to high Andes
Prefer same food as sheep, but also eat burr-like seeds which tangle the wool of sheep.
Greater Rhea

7. Struthioniformes Max of 2.15 m (7’) tall and 150 kg (330 lbs)
Only bird species with two toes

9. Papuans are said to buy 8 large pigs or 1 wife with a cassowary
Casuariiformes
Family Casuariidae
Australia & New Guinea
3 species
Back height 1 m, mass 85 kg
Dangerous! 10-cm nail on inner toe
Solitary except when breeding
Papuans are said to buy 8 large pigs or 1 wife with a cassowary

10. Casuariiformes Family Dromiceidae Emu 1 species Australian
Back height 1 m, mass 55 kg
1964 W. Australia paid bounties on 14,000 Emu. Hardy & easy to breed in captivity

11. Are birds living dinosaurs?
Thomas Huxley thought so in 1867
Sauropsida (birds + reptiles)
Velociraptor mongolensis

12. Shared skeletal traits – birds & modern reptiles
Single occipital condyle
Lower mandible composed of several elements
Single inner ear bone
Uncinate processes on the ribs
Single occipital condyle (mammals have two).
Lower mandible composed of several elements (mammals have only one, the dentary).
Single, inner ear bone (the columella); mammals have three.
Uncinate processes on the ribs (lacking in mammals).
Nonskeletal similarities include: nucleated RBCs, similar eggs and reproductive pattern, egg tooth, female birds and some female reptiles are the heterogametic sex–that is the sex with the ZW combination of sex chromosomes (in mammals, males are hetergametic XY).

13. Shared traits – birds & modern reptiles
Single occipital condyle (mammals have two).
Lower mandible composed of several elements (mammals have only one, the dentary).
Single, inner ear bone (the columella); mammals have three.
Uncinate processes on the ribs (lacking in mammals).
Single occipital condyle (mammals have two).
Lower mandible composed of several elements (mammals have only one, the dentary).
Single, inner ear bone (the columella); mammals have three.
Uncinate processes on the ribs (lacking in mammals).
Nonskeletal similarities include: nucleated RBCs, similar eggs and reproductive pattern, egg tooth, female birds and some female reptiles are the heterogametic sex–that is the sex with the ZW combination of sex chromosomes (in mammals, males are hetergametic XY).

14. Single occipital condyle

15. Shared traits – birds & modern reptiles
Single occipital condyle (mammals have two).
Lower mandible composed of several elements (mammals have only one, the dentary).
Single, inner ear bone (the columella); mammals have three.
Uncinate processes on the ribs (lacking in mammals).
Single occipital condyle (mammals have two).
Lower mandible composed of several elements (mammals have only one, the dentary).
Single, inner ear bone (the columella); mammals have three.
Uncinate processes on the ribs (lacking in mammals).
Nonskeletal similarities include: nucleated RBCs, similar eggs and reproductive pattern, egg tooth, female birds and some female reptiles are the heterogametic sex–that is the sex with the ZW combination of sex chromosomes (in mammals, males are hetergametic XY).

16. (a) Barn Owl (b) Alligator

17. Shared traits – birds & modern reptiles
Single occipital condyle (mammals have two).
Lower mandible composed of several elements (mammals have only one, the dentary).
Single inner ear bone (the columella); mammals have three.
Uncinate processes on the ribs (lacking in mammals).
Single occipital condyle (mammals have two).
Lower mandible composed of several elements (mammals have only one, the dentary).
Single, inner ear bone (the columella); mammals have three.
Uncinate processes on the ribs (lacking in mammals).
Nonskeletal similarities include: nucleated RBCs, similar eggs and reproductive pattern, egg tooth, female birds and some female reptiles are the heterogametic sex–that is the sex with the ZW combination of sex chromosomes (in mammals, males are hetergametic XY).

19. Shared traits – birds & modern reptiles
Single occipital condyle (mammals have two).
Lower mandible composed of several elements (mammals have only one, the dentary).
Single, inner ear bone (the columella); mammals have three.
Uncinate processes on the ribs (lacking in mammals).
Single occipital condyle (mammals have two).
Lower mandible composed of several elements (mammals have only one, the dentary).
Single, inner ear bone (the columella); mammals have three.
Uncinate processes on the ribs (lacking in mammals).
Nonskeletal similarities include: nucleated RBCs, similar eggs and reproductive pattern, egg tooth, female birds and some female reptiles are the heterogametic sex–that is the sex with the ZW combination of sex chromosomes (in mammals, males are hetergametic XY).

21. Nonskeletal similarities
nucleated RBCs
similar eggs and reproductive pattern
egg tooth
female birds and some female reptiles are the heterogametic sex–with the ZW combination of sex chromosomes

22. Birds & mammals had different reptilian ancestors

24. Mesozoic – The age of reptiles
Origin of birds
Mesozoic – The age of reptiles

26. Archaeopteryx lithographica
Oldest fossil bird, 150 million years old
Feather found in 1860
Total of 7 fossils
Berlin Fossil found in 1876

29. Archaeopteryx & Modern birds reptiles
SMALL BRAIN CASE
TEETH
HAND WITH 3 FINGERS
SMALL FLAT STERNUM
SOLID BONES
MANY TAIL BONES
ABDOMINAL RIBS
LARGE BRAIN CASE
NO TEETH
NO HAND
LARGE KEELED STERNUM
HOLLOW BONES
FUSED INTO PYGOSTYLE
NONE

30. furcula

31. Was Archaeopteryx a bird or a feathered dinosaur?

32. Fossil feathers found on >12 theropod dinosaurs and dromaeosaurs not closely related to Archaeopteryx

33. Microraptor zhaoianus 130 million years old
New Dinosaur Fossil Ruffles Feathers
April
The discovery of a 130-million-year-old fossil of a feathered dinosaur provides dramatic evidence that birds evolved from the ancient reptiles, according to new research
Microraptor zhaoianus 130 million years old

34. Microraptor gui
4-winged dinosaur
(Dromaeosaur)

35. Two possible ancestors
Thecodonts or theropods

38. Euparkia Archaeopteryx Pigeon Bipedal 5th metatarsal & toe reduced
Paired row of epidermal scales along back
Archaeopteryx
Pigeon

39. Closest Dinosaur Relatives lightly built, big-brained, feathered dromaeosaurs
Recent discoveries in China demonstrate that birds evolved from small, meat-eating dinosaurs called theropods.
Skeletons of several kinds of small dinosaurs and primitive birds have been unearthed by farmers since 1994 in the north-eastern Chinese province of Liaoning. These dinosaurs are the first to be found covered with feathers.
The bird-like dinosaurs and dinosaur-like birds were found near the villages of Jianshangou and Sihetun, in rocks aged between 120 and 145 million years old.
Of all dinosaurs, the lightly built and big-brained dromaeosaurs or 'raptors' such as Sinornithosaurus and Velociraptor are the closest relatives of birds.
Sinornithosaurus had a broad range of feathers including downy, insulating fluff over most of its body and longer display feathers on its arms, tail and head. Some of its long feathers had barbules and hooklets that bound together a feather's barbs and gave the feather greater strength, flexibility and surface area. It is possible that such feathers helped dinosaurs like Sinornithosaurus and Velociraptor to balance, or may even have boosted them when leaping into the air after prey. At least two specimens of Sinornithosaurus have been found at Liaoning.
Velociraptor mongolensis
Sinornithosaurus

40. Post Archaeopteryx

41. Two Major Bird Lineages
Enantiornithes
Fusion of tarsometatarsus in opposite order
Most diverse avian group in Cretaceous
Neornithes
Sinornis
Iberomesornis
Nanantius
Enantiornis

42. Enantiornithes
“Opposite birds,” so named because of a reversed pattern of fusion of tarsal elements relative to modern birds.
Show adaptive radiation in Cretaceous
Have well developed flight apparatus, skull with teeth and a primitive pelvic region
Formerly thought to represent early forms of many modern lineages; actually are a side branch, extinct by end of Cretaceous

43. Modern Birds Enantiornithes Ichthyornis Toothed Divers Enantiornithes
Tertiary
Modern Birds 65
MYA
Enantiornithes
Ichthyornis
Toothed Divers
Cretaceous
Enantiornithes
Neornithes
135
MYA
Enantiornithes, Opposite birds because the structure of the scapula and coracoid are oriented opposite those of modern birds. 30 named species, some with teeth some without.
Confusiousornis
Liaoningornis
Archaeopteryx
Jurassic
“Opposite” birds

44. Sinornis

45. Sinornis santensis

46. Forelimbs of
(A) Ornitholestes, a theropod dinosaur
(B) Archaeopteryx
(C) Sinornis, an archaic bird from the lower Cretaceous, and
(D) the wing of a modern chicken

47. Confuciusornis

48. Two Major Bird Lineages
Enantiornithes
Neornithes
Predecessors to modern birds
Toothed divers – Hesperornis
Tern-like – Ichthyornis

49. Ichthyornis Hesperornis

50. Upper Cretaceous

51. K-T IMPACT
The Cretaceous-Tertiary meteor impact was the end of many species on Earth, including the dinosaurs and toothed birds.

52. Remiorniths Elephant Birds Non-passerine Radiation
Passerines
Pleistocene
Moas 2
MYA
Pliocene 7
MYA
Most Non-Passerine Orders
Terror Birds
Coraciiformes
Miocene
Owls
Piciformes 26
MYA
Remiorniths Elephant Birds
Shorebirds
Pseudodontorns
Oligocene
Ducks 38
MYA
Flamingoes
Eocene
Gastornis 54
MYA
Presbyornis
Paleocene
Non-passerine Radiation 65
MYA
Enantiornithes
Modern Birds

53. Eocene 54-37 million years BP
Major period of evolution at least 20 modern orders arise

54. Large Carnivorous Birds
Gastornis / Diatryma – Europe / NA
Australian Dromonithids ‘Giant Demon Duck of Doom’
Terror Birds – South America
Far from sympatric
Chicken sized terror birds in same German shale as gastornis. Terror birds were top predators South america only place with top birds, mammals elsewhere. Saber-tooth cats may have out competed after connection with North America. Stayed on as scavengers in South America until just before the arrival of humans. Really fast.

57. Pliocene 11-2 million years BP
¾ of fossil birds in modern genera
Climate mild, dry & stable
Extensive mountain building
Bird species reach max of ca. 11,000

58. Pleistocene 2 million – 11,000 years BP
Dramatic climate change
About 1/5th of all bird species went extinct
Modern species arise
Rapid evolution of passerines
Expansion of large flightless birds

59. La Brea Tar Pits 14,500 years BP

60. Teratorns
25 foot wingspan, 170 lbs.

62. La Brea Tar Pits 14,500 years old

63. 180 fossil bird species known
CA Pleistocene
180 fossil bird species known
31 (17%) extinct

64. How many bird species? Brodkorb (1971) estimates 150,000 species have existed during the past 150 million years. If so, on average 1 new species arises every 1,000 years. How species arise is the next topic.

65. Sinornis