Beak Evolution

A study carried out on about 2,000 bird species has deduced how birds acquired a vast array of beaks over million of years of evolution.

17:04 02 February 2017

A novel study participated by citizen scientists has found that the burst of evolution of different beak shapes started soon after other dinosaurs died out. 

 

Many scientists, including naturalist Charles Darwin, has been fascinated with the great diversity of beaks. While visiting the Galapagos Islands, he developed his theory of natural selection after he discovered several species of finches that varied from island to island. 

 

Lead researcher Gavin Thomas from the University of Sheffield said: "This project has given us key insight into how evolutionary processes play out over millions of years - with major bursts of evolution as new groups emerge, and more fine-scale changes thereafter,"

 

"With the efforts of our volunteers from across the world, the study has given us a unique new data set for the study of bird ecology and evolution."

 

The study found that a burst of rapid changes in beaks has allowed birds to explore different types of habitats. It also found that despite the increasing number of bird species, there has been a slowdown in bird beak diversity, which explains why the birds that evolved in the past 30-40 years have beak shapes quite similar to each other.