Megapode Mounds and Archaeology in Northern Australia

Stone, Tim

doi:10.1071/mu9910255

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Indeed, while it is assumed that fossil birds belonging to numerous lineages constructed nests similar in form to those made by living species, fossil nests are extremely rare. The burrows and nest mounds produced by megapodes have a high theoretical preservation potential and some hillocks produced by the Orange‐footed megapode Megapodius reinwardt have been dated to over 1500 years old (Stone, ). Enormous mounds on New Caledonia – some 50 m across and 4–5 m high – have been interpreted as nest mounds produced by the megapode‐like galliform Sylviornis (Mourer‐Chauviré & Popin, ).…”

Section: Reproductive Behaviour and Eggs Nests And Nest Moundsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The fossil record of bird behaviour

Naish

2014

Journal of Zoology

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Between the Middle Jurassic and Holocene, birds evolved an enormous diversity of behaviours. The distribution and antiquity of these behaviours is difficult to establish given a relatively poor fossil record. Rare crop, stomach and gut contents typically reveal diets consistent with morphology but stem‐members of some lineages (including Cariamae and Coraciiformes) seem to have been different in ecology from their extant relatives. Most of our ideas about the behaviour of fossil birds are based on analogy (with skull form, limb proportions and claw curvature being used to guide hypotheses). However, this has limitations given that some extinct taxa lack extant analogues and that some extant taxa do not behave as predicted by osteology. Reductionist methods have been used to test predation style and running ability in fossil taxa including moa, Gastornis and phorusrhacids. Virtually nothing is known of nesting and nest‐building behaviour but colonial nesting is known from the Cretaceous onwards. Rare vegetative nests demonstrate modern nest‐building from the Eocene onwards. Ornamental rectrices indicate that sexually driven display drove some aspects of feather evolution and evidence for loud vocal behaviour and intraspecific combat is known for some taxa. Our knowledge of fossil bird behaviour indicates that ‘modern’ behaviours are at least as old as crown birds. Stem‐members of extant lineages, however, may sometimes or often have differed from extant taxa.

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Section: Reproductive Behaviour and Eggs Nests And Nest Moundsmentioning

confidence: 99%