Is the genetic basis of loss of flight due to mutations in protein-coding genes or in regulatory genes?

Hybridization among wood warblers suggests “filling the earth” through dispersal, speciation and adaptation to local habitats.

A fossil bird recovered from Cretaceous lake deposits in China shows preservation of some soft tissues, including a pair of lungs that appear to have functioned in a way similar to those of living birds.

Archaeopteryx is arguably the most famous fossil ever discovered. It has a mixture of bird-like and reptile-like traits, and was first reported only two years after Charles Darwin published his book, The Origin of Species. Since then, another eleven Archaeopteryx specimens have been recovered from the limestones near Solnhofen, Germany.

What is the utility of a fourth or a fifth of a wing stroke? Could any insect or bird get by with a wing that is a fraction of its normal size? Could it serve its purpose working at a reduced capacity? These questions are a challenge for those who accept Darwinian gradualism and adaptation. According to the Darwinian evolution theory, biological traits arise by small genetic variations steadily modifying…

How does one account for bird migrations? Why do they migrate at all? How do they know when it’s time to begin the long journey? What guides their flight path and direction? How do they know their destination, and how do they prepare for the trip?

The method of DNA-DNA hybridization has been applied to the relationships of birds, with some surprising results. The method is described and the results analyzed. While the results are quite interesting, there appear to be limits to the resolution of the method, and it seems inadvisable to depend upon this method alone when studying bird relationships. Published in Origins v. 14, n. 2.

A fossil bird from Argentina is now regarded as the largest known flying bird. Published in Origins v. 7, n. 2.