White Eyed Birds Diversify Across A Hemispheric Range Faster Than Any Other Bird
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 - 20:42
in Biology & Nature
New molecular research shows that white eye birds (family Zosteropidae) form new species at a faster rate than any other known bird. Remarkably, unlike other rapid diversifications, which are generally confined in geography, white eyes diversified across multiple continents and far-flung islands. These birds were dubbed "Great Speciators" for this ability to rapidly form new species with little geographic limitation, and both thought that some intrinsic trait drove the extreme, observed patterns.