Re: Vegavis gen. nov. - new anseriform in today's Nature

[David Marjanovic <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Bois" <jbois@umd5.umd.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 5:40 PM

> I believe there is fossils evidence that dromornithids nested in similar
> loactions as emus...i.e., arid grasslands.  Dromornithids were probably
> adapted to aridity.  In other words, fewer predators at nesting sites.  In
> any case, emus follow a similar nesting strategy to ostriches...trying to
> lose themselves in space.

This may all hold for *Genyornis*, but most other known dromornithids are 
simply older than Australia's oldest grasslands. *Bullockornis*, for 
example, lived in an ordinary tropical rainforest.