A lost dove, a revived genus: new genetic evidence redefines one of Brazil’s rarest birds
A living relic of evolution – the Blue-eyed Ground Dove, the sole surviving member of the ancient genus Oxypelia. © Jonathan P. Slifkin
Evolution and Taxonomy

A lost dove, a revived genus: new genetic evidence redefines one of Brazil’s rarest birds

Genetic evidence has revived the forgotten genus Oxypelia, revealing the Blue-eyed Ground Dove as the sole survivor of an ancient 10-million-year-old lineage.

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Bound by Coastlines: Genetics and the Hidden Structure of Mexico’s American Oystercatchers
American Oystercatchers along the coast of north-western Mexico inhabit a landscape shaped by strong site fidelity, where breeding populations remain closely tied to specific bays and shorelines despite their ability to travel long distances.© Rain Saulnier

Bound by Coastlines: Genetics and the Hidden Structure of Mexico’s American Oystercatchers

Genetic evidence from Mexico’s coastlines reveals that American Oystercatchers are far less mobile than they appear, shaped by loyalty to place and hidden evolutionary boundaries.
Evolution and Taxonomy
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly
Cormorants: Evolutionary Failure or Underwater Mastermind?
A Spotted Shag demonstrates the streamlined form typical of shags. The same low-drag profile that supports agile flight also contributes to the precise underwater manoeuvrability seen across the cormorant family. © Jeremiah Trimble

Cormorants: Evolutionary Failure or Underwater Mastermind?

Cormorants are often labelled evolutionary misfits for having partially wettable feathers – hardly ideal for a diving bird. Their design is far from flawed. It is a finely tuned adaptation that reveals an unexpected path in the evolution of underwater hunting.
Evolution and Taxonomy
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly
How European Is the European Roller?
European Roller in Hungary — a bird still closely associated with Europe by name, even as much of its population and range now lie far beyond the continent’s western edge. © Attila Szilágyi

How European Is the European Roller?

Conceptual Note: This piece sits deliberately between observation and explanation: it outlines what is currently supported by evidence, then turns to the not knowing that remains — treating uncertainty not as a failure of understanding, but as a necessary part of how knowledge advances. The European Roller carries one of the most self-assured names in ornithology. It sounds precise, settled, geographically honest. Yet the bird it describes has always been only partly Eu
Conceptual Notes
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly
Is Woodpecker Drumming More Than Noise?
Syrian Woodpecker – Drumming is one of the most conspicuous signals in a woodpecker’s behavioural repertoire, yet its evolutionary role is often taken for granted — recognised immediately, but rarely interrogated in the way birdsong has been. © Pavel Štěpánek

Is Woodpecker Drumming More Than Noise?

Conceptual Note: This piece sits deliberately between observation and explanation: it outlines what is currently supported by evidence, then turns to the not knowing that remains — treating uncertainty not as a failure of understanding, but as a necessary part of how knowledge advances. The forgotten song Among birds, few behaviours are as immediately recognisable as the drumming of a woodpecker. Long before the bird itself is seen, the rapid, percussive burst carries
Conceptual Notes
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly
American Oystercatchers Take to the Rooftops: A Desperate Response to a Shrinking Coastline
An American Oystercatcher on a gravel rooftop nest shows a precarious adaptation as shrinking shorelines force birds to seek refuge above ground. © Kara Durda, Audubon Florida

American Oystercatchers Take to the Rooftops: A Desperate Response to a Shrinking Coastline

As coastal nesting habitats disappear, American Oystercatchers along Florida’s Gulf Coast are turning to gravel rooftops—an extraordinary but risky adaptation driven by urban expansion and shrinking shorelines.
Conservation
Abigail McKay

Abigail McKay