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Diet of Mesozoic toothed birds (Longipterygidae) inferred from quantitative analysis of extant avian diet proxies (2022)
Journal Article
Miller, C., Pittman, M., Wang, X., Zheng, X., & Bright, J. A. (2022). Diet of Mesozoic toothed birds (Longipterygidae) inferred from quantitative analysis of extant avian diet proxies. BMC biology, 20(1), Article 101. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-022-01294-3

Background: Birds are key indicator species in extant ecosystems, and thus we would expect extinct birds to provide insights into the nature of ancient ecosystems. However, many aspects of extinct bird ecology, particularly their diet, remain obscure... Read More about Diet of Mesozoic toothed birds (Longipterygidae) inferred from quantitative analysis of extant avian diet proxies.

Global biogeographic patterns of avian morphological diversity (2022)
Journal Article
Hughes, E. C., Edwards, D. P., Bright, J. A., Capp, E. J., Cooney, C. R., Varley, Z. K., & Thomas, G. H. (2022). Global biogeographic patterns of avian morphological diversity. Ecology letters, 25(3), 598-610. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13905

Understanding the biogeographical patterns, and evolutionary and environmental drivers, underpinning morphological diversity are key for determining its origins and conservation. Using a comprehensive set of continuous morphological traits extracted... Read More about Global biogeographic patterns of avian morphological diversity.

Craniofacial development illuminates the evolution of nightbirds (Strisores) (2021)
Journal Article
Navalón, G., Nebreda, S. M., Bright, J. A., Fabbri, M., Benson, R. B. J., Bhullar, B. A., …Rayfield, E. J. (2021). Craniofacial development illuminates the evolution of nightbirds (Strisores). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1948), Article 20210181. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.0181

Evolutionary variation in ontogeny played a central role in the origin of the avian skull. However, its influence in subsequent bird evolution is largely unexplored. We assess the links between ontogenetic and evolutionary variation of skull morpholo... Read More about Craniofacial development illuminates the evolution of nightbirds (Strisores).

The signature of competition in ecomorphological traits across the avian radiation (2020)
Journal Article
Chira, A. M., Cooney, C. R., Bright, J. A., Capp, E. J., Hughes, E. C., Moody, C. J., …Thomas, G. H. (2020). The signature of competition in ecomorphological traits across the avian radiation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1938), Article 20201585. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1585

Competition for shared resources represents a fundamental driver of biological diversity. However, the tempo and mode of phenotypic evolution in deep-time has been predominantly investigated using trait evolutionary models which assume that lineages... Read More about The signature of competition in ecomorphological traits across the avian radiation.

The signature of competition in ecomorphological traits across the avian radiation: Competition and trait macroevolution (2020)
Journal Article
Chira, A. M., Cooney, C. R., Bright, J. A., Capp, E. J., Hughes, E. C., Moody, C. J., …Thomas, G. H. (2020). The signature of competition in ecomorphological traits across the avian radiation: Competition and trait macroevolution. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1938), Article 20201585. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1585

© 2020 The Authors. Competition for shared resources represents a fundamental driver of biological diversity. However, the tempo and mode of phenotypic evolution in deep-time has been predominantly investigated using trait evolutionary models which a... Read More about The signature of competition in ecomorphological traits across the avian radiation: Competition and trait macroevolution.

Disassociated rhamphotheca of fossil bird Confuciusornis informs early beak reconstruction, stress regime, and developmental patterns (2020)
Journal Article
Miller, C. V., Pittman, M., Kaye, T. G., Wang, X., Bright, J. A., & Zheng, X. (2020). Disassociated rhamphotheca of fossil bird Confuciusornis informs early beak reconstruction, stress regime, and developmental patterns. Communications Biology, 3(1), Article 519. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-01252-1

Soft tissue preservation in fossil birds provides a rare window into their anatomy, function, and development. Here, we present an exceptionally-preserved specimen of Confuciusornis which, through Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence imaging, is identified... Read More about Disassociated rhamphotheca of fossil bird Confuciusornis informs early beak reconstruction, stress regime, and developmental patterns.

The consequences of craniofacial integration for the adaptive radiations of Darwin’s finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers (2020)
Journal Article
Navalón, G., Marugán-Lobón, J., Bright, J. A., Cooney, C., & Rayfield, E. (2020). The consequences of craniofacial integration for the adaptive radiations of Darwin’s finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 4(2), 270-278. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-1092-y

© 2020, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited. The diversifications of Darwin’s finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers are two text-book examples of adaptive radiation in birds. Why these two bird groups radiated while the rem... Read More about The consequences of craniofacial integration for the adaptive radiations of Darwin’s finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers.

The multifactorial nature of beak and skull shape evolution in parrots and cockatoos (Psittaciformes) (2019)
Journal Article
Bright, J. A., Marugán-Lobón, J., Rayfield, E. J., & Cobb, S. N. (2019). The multifactorial nature of beak and skull shape evolution in parrots and cockatoos (Psittaciformes). BMC evolutionary biology, 19(1), Article 104. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-019-1432-1

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: The Psittaciformes (parrots and cockatoos) are characterised by their large beaks, and are renowned for their ability to produce high bite forces. These birds also possess a suite of modifications to their cranial ar... Read More about The multifactorial nature of beak and skull shape evolution in parrots and cockatoos (Psittaciformes).

Feeding in Birds: Thriving in Terrestrial, Aquatic, and Aerial Niches (2019)
Book Chapter
Rico-Guevara, A., Sustaita, D., Gussekloo, S., Olsen, A., Bright, J., Corbin, C., & Dudley, R. (2019). Feeding in Birds: Thriving in Terrestrial, Aquatic, and Aerial Niches. In V. Bels, & I. Q. Whishaw (Eds.), Feeding in Vertebrates (643-693). Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13739-7_17

We start with a general description of the structure of the feeding apparatus in birds (Sect. 17.1), then we describe the biomechanics of those parts (Sect. 17.2), including a review of contemporary approaches to the study of bird feeding morphology... Read More about Feeding in Birds: Thriving in Terrestrial, Aquatic, and Aerial Niches.

The evolutionary relationship among beak shape, mechanical advantage, and feeding ecology in modern birds (2018)
Journal Article
Navalón, G., Bright, J. A., Marugán‐Lobón, J., & Rayfield, E. J. (2019). The evolutionary relationship among beak shape, mechanical advantage, and feeding ecology in modern birds. Evolution, 73(3), 422-435. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13655

Extensive research on avian adaptive radiations has led to a presumption that beak morphology predicts feeding ecology in birds. However, this ecomorphological relationship has only been quantified in a handful of avian lineages, where associations a... Read More about The evolutionary relationship among beak shape, mechanical advantage, and feeding ecology in modern birds.