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Ancient Bird Study Reveals Flightless Evolution Insights

9/18/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Researchers examined the ancient bird Lithornis promiscuous to explore how large, flightless birds like ostriches and emus reached remote landmasses.
Lithornis exhibited a sternum shape akin to modern long-distance flying birds.
This implies that ancient paleognaths may have flown to various continents before becoming flightless.
Flightlessness likely evolved independently in different bird lineages post-Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction.
Key factors for flightlessness include ground-based food sources and a lack of predators.

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Story summary

Researchers examined the ancient bird Lithornis promiscuous to explore how large, flightless birds like ostriches and emus reached remote landmasses.
Lithornis exhibited a sternum shape akin to modern long-distance flying birds.
This implies that ancient paleognaths may have flown to various continents before becoming flightless.
Flightlessness likely evolved independently in different bird lineages post-Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction.
Key factors for flightlessness include ground-based food sources and a lack of predators.