Re: Bird Question

["Nicholas J. Pharris" <pharrinj@PLU.edu>]

On Fri, 2 Feb 1996 Dinogeorge@aol.com wrote:

> The second is the Cretaceous bird radiation, which witnessed the spread of
> enantiornithine birds around the world. These seem to have gone extinct in
> the Cretaceous extinction along with the dinosaurs. Inasmuch as
> enantiornithines were essentially unknown until 1981, we still have a lot to
> learn about this radiation. It is very telling that nearly all the known
> Cretaceous bird skeletons are of enantiornithine birds.

Out of curiosity, how do you define an "enantiornithine"?

Many birds I've seen described as "enantiornithines" appear to be just a 
serially derived bunch of outgroups between _Archaeopteryx_ and modern birds.

> 
> Naturally, there must also have been a Jurassic bird radiation, of which
> _Archaeopteryx_ was a part. 

Agreed.  IMHO, the Arctometatarsalia are also a part of this radiation, 
but you are free to disagree, as many do.

Nick Pharris
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
(206)535-8204
PharriNJ@PLU.edu

"If you can't convince them, confuse them." -- Harry S. Truman