Percy G. Ulsamer

A special eye protein is helping birds to “see” Earth’s magnetic field! If that’s not cool, I don’t know what is.

The ability to see Earth’s magnetic field, known as magnetoreception, relies on the presence of specifically the blue wavelength of light. The complex process involves “radical” intermediate molecules which are sensitive to Earth’s magnetic field. The Earth’s magnetic field, as it relates to the direction the bird is facing, could alter the intermediate radical molecules differently, giving the bird a sense for where it is facing in relation to the Earth’s magnetic field.

While the exact way birds visualize Earth’s magnetic field is part of further investigation, scientists believe the Cry4 protein acts as sort of a filter over the bird’s vision. This filter would allow birds to see a sort of compass of the Earth and direct their migratory flights accordingly.

nicobar pigeon

golden pheasant

victoria crowned pigeon

kakapo

blue footed booby

greater bird of paradise

lesser bird of paradise

stork-billed kingfisher

frillback pigeon

the old Dutch capuchine

a classic old frill bred by @ramseyringnecks

beautiful Indian fantail, a very ancient breed

Voorburg cropper

So there is a difference between natural and sexual selection. Natural selection happens when a mutated trait helps the animal gather more food, defend food sources, etc. If we focus on food, this happens when food sources are closely clustered, meaning males have to compete. The survival aiding traits spread through the population.

Sexual selection happens when there are a lack of predators or the food source is maybe more spread out, making it so everyone is happy and no competition is in play. Now, it is up to the females to chose. So, a mutation like the Greater Bird of Paradise’s plumage might have happened. The females liked it as an appealing trait. So, as more males bred with the long feather trait, we’ll call it, more males started showing up with it. Males with longer, colorful feathers were more appealing so they got more elaborate to the point where they look like that. The problem with sexual selection is that typically, the males don’t survive as long as they’ve sacrificed survival aiding traits to appeal to males. Like, look at this Long-tailed Widowbird; he can barely keep himself above the grass!

So, that’s how we got all of these crazy, fancy, colorful birds.

At this point, I should just make a whole post about the Bird of Paradise and their crazy evolution story!

This video really helps explain it:

nicobar pigeon

golden pheasant

victoria crowned pigeon

kakapo

blue footed booby

greater bird of paradise

lesser bird of paradise

stork-billed kingfisher

frillback pigeon

the old Dutch capuchine

a classic old frill bred by @ramseyringnecks

beautiful Indian fantail, a very ancient breed

Voorburg cropper

let’s be real, no matter how crap this movie is I WILL be going multiple times. thus, multiple outfits - here’s number 2

1. Birds are Dinosaurs

at this point, no sane person can deny the relationship between birds & non-avian dinosaurs. if through magic you saw a photo of velociraptor today, you’d just say “neat-o I think that turkey has teeth!” & go back to scrolling your twitter feed. 

but let’s clarify what a dinosaur is: Dinosauria is defined as the MCRA (most common recent ancestor) of Megalosaurus & Iguandon, and all their descendants thereof. you see that branching cladogram up above? everything past ‘Archosauria’ is an archosaur, including birds, everything past ‘Dinosauria’ is a dinosaur, including birds, and everything past ‘Aves’ is a bird.

so, Tyrannosaurus rex is not a bird, but a house sparrow IS a dinosaur.

2. Birds are Reptiles

many clades (groups consisting of a common ancestor & all it’s descendants) were made based on physical features like ectothermy and scales, before we fully understood who was related to who. so birds were not originally intended to be grouped with reptiles, but tracing their path backward in the tree of life, birds are nested in Archosauria (crocodiles, pterosaurs, dinosaurs, etc.), which is in turn nested in Reptilia (turtles, lizards, snakes, etc.)