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- Worms in space |
Drs. Robert Raikow and Anthony Bledsoe (left) are investigating the phylogenetic relationship and evolution of the ovenbirds (Furnariinae), a diverse neotropical group consisting of roughly 230 species of passerine birds. Results so far from their comparative anatomical work suggest that the woodcreepers, a related group, fall within the ovenbird radiation -- a departure from traditional views of ovenbird-woodcreeper relationships. The work also indicates that the ovenbird phylogenetic reconstruction will prove useful in studying the ecological correlates of nest architecture, which exhibits great variety in this group. The neotropical ovenbirds are not closely related to the Ovenbird, a wood warbler that nests in eastern North America, and a picture of which is shown below.
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