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cursorial flapping
If birds were descended from cursorial archosaurs, flapping would
probably have preceeded gliding. A cursorial animal that tried to glide
would plow a furrow in the ground. How far can a bird taking off from
the ground get without flapping? Are there any modern birds that have
been seen to pick up enough speed for gliding just by running?
Archaeoptyeryx probably wasn't that
strong a flapper. The glenoid fossa wasn't nearly as dorsally directed as
in modern birds, the wrist wasn't as well stabilized, and the pectoralis
muscles were much smaller. Might this be taken as evidence of a
gliding, and hence arboreal origin?
LN Jeff