Mapping the Gene Changes is for the Birds

The Avian Phylogenomics Consortium has collected together evidence from more than 200 scientists in 20 countries who have looked at the genes of 45 bird species to consider the relationships between them (http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/dec/11/birds-evolution-feathers-genome-sequencing-avian-genes). The birds arose over 65 million years ago from the remnants of the mass dinosaur extinction and how they developed feathers (plus flight) and lost their teeth now appears to be well-documented. Some surprises are, however, evident. It appears that falcons are more closely related to parrots than to eagles and flamingos are more closely related to pigeons rather than pelicans. This seems to be a good example of pooling information to get a better understanding of evolutionary history. There appears to be more parallel evolution than at first glance.