On the first of this month, we got a bird alert. An archaic patch of DNA in a "neöäve" bird chromosome looks similar in dove/pigeons and in mirandornithes - mostly flamingoes. In 2014, that patch put those in the same group. Now, it's clearer that this is just a shared genetic fossil.
Mirandornithes are now even more mirandal. As to pigeons: they're now being clumped next to the cuckoo-bustard "otidimorphs".
You have to squint at the chart to see that Galloanserae - fowl and waterfowl - had already branched out so don't count here. That goes double for the Paleognaths, which include the ostrich, almost saurian throwbacks. If I'd stopped to think about it, I might have guessed the latter were Different. It was news to me that Galloanserae were so separate from other birds however. Honestly I'd have picked the flamingo first. I suppose that's why I'm not a biologist.
I dislike the name "neoave"; besides demanding too many umlauts it mixes Greek and Latin. Novavis or neornis wil work for me. I might just stick with novave. "Novornis" might invite back that migraine from Tuesday night. Nuevavo, senhor?
Anyway the branching between flamingo and the other NewBirds happened around 65-7 Mya which was... an interesting time. As you can imagine, there's a hunt on to see what, exactly, selected this strange genetic clot amongst these particular birds.
BACKDATE 4/7 since Thursday night I was in no shape to type anything.
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