Re: vultures and musophagids

[Ronald Orenstein <ornstn@home.com>]

>>From what I know about avian phylogeny, the question is whether New World
>and Old World vultures are in fact related to one another in the first
>place. Some authors exclude the latter from all other falconiforms and do
>group them with the storks (there's a scavenging, vulture-like stork, the
>marabou).

>Raymond Thaddeus C. Ancog

It's the reverse - I have never seen anyone doubt that the Old World
vultures are falconiform (though I may have missed this), but the New World
vultures are the ones allied with storks.

Just to make matters worse: there are fossil New World vultures from the
Old World, and fossil Old World vultures from the New!
--
Ronald I. Orenstein                           Phone: (905) 820-7886
International Wildlife Coalition              Fax/Modem: (905) 569-0116
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