Maniraptor News

I will update this page with news related to maniraptors and link to websites that discuss these finds, the newest updates at the top.

News from past years can be found archived here.

2025
6/18

• Postnatal development in the cold render avian mitochondria more susceptible to heat stress

6/16

• Movements of juvenile Ardea alba and Ardea plumifera in Australia

6/13

• Primary feather from the Zhonggou Formation
• Terrestrial nocturnal roosting behavior in Grus nigricollis

6/12

• Evaluation of hypotheses for avian dawn-biased vocal activity
• Eavesdropping by Numenius americanus on Cynomys ludovicianus

6/11

• Pigment concentrations only partially predict eggshell color mimicry in Anomalospiza imberbis
• Stable atmospheric conditions underlie steady pace of nocturnal avian migration in Colombia

6/10

• Detour migration in Circus pygargus

6/9

• Taxonomic status of Cymbirhynchus affinis
• Timing of breeding in avians of Colombia
• Taphonomy of avians from the Pleistocene of Spain

6/6

• Lunar cycle and moonlight intensity influence nocturnal migration patterns in Alauda arvensis

6/5

• Acoustic overtones improve the discrimination of conspecific female calls by male Cuculus canorus from similar heterospecific calls
• Foraging distribution and habitat use of chick-rearing Pagodroma nivea

6/4

• Emergence of a novel drinking innovation in Cacatua galerita
• Energy conversion efficiency peaks at intermediate flight speed in Luscinia luscinia
• Stochastic influences on response to phenotypic selection in Ficedula albicollis
• Habitat associations of Casuarius casuarius

6/3

• Drivers of sphenisciform biogeographic limits
• Patterns in egg size variability of island-dwelling Falco tinnunculus

6/2

• Genomic basis of plumage polymorphism in Megascops asio
• Diet of Calonectris diomedea and Puffinus yelkouan
• Review of species concepts applied to avians

5/30

• Benefits of brood reduction in Sula nebouxii

5/29

• Avialans with evidence of nesting from the Prince Creek Formation
• Population genomics of recovery and extinction in drepanidins

5/28

• Analysis of avian head motion
• Morphological evolution of vangids
• Mate-switching is not associated with offspring fitness in Acrocephalus sechellensis
• Dispersal and habitat preference of juvenile Aptenodytes forsteri
• Social decision making in Cacatua galerita
• Population structure of Antigone canadensis along Pacific Flyway
• Supertree of passeriforms from the Indo-Australian Archipelago

5/27

• Migratory routes of Ficedula narcissina and Saxicola stejnegeri

5/26

• Hindlimb bones of Nettapterornis oxfordi
• Amygdala regulates social motivation for selective vocal imitation in Taeniopygia guttata
• Ecological and behavioral dimensions of coexistence of Alcippe davidi and Pomatorhinus ruficollis
• Natal dispersal patterns in Aquila heliaca
• Behavioral responses to novel stimuli in breeding Sterna hirundo
• Diet and foraging of Pedionomus torquatus

5/25

• New avialans Parvigrus ypresiensis and Waltonius burhinoides
• Niche space modeling of procellariiforms in New Zealand

5/24

• Evolutionary history of Pseudocolopteryx citreola and Pseudocolopteryx flaviventris

5/23

• Nocturnal but not diurnal predators shape stopover strategy in Erithacus rubecula

5/22

• Pygoscelis adeliae guano as an important source of climate-relevant aerosol particles in Antarctica
• Navigational strategies of Anser albifrons
• Potential nomadism in Phoeniconaias minor in India

5/21

• Nest location and architecture as primary drivers of variation in UV reflectance in avian eggs
• Diverse relationships between amplitude and frequency in avian vocalizations
• Spatial neophobia not correlated with object neophobia in Passer domesticus
• Neophobia across social contexts in juvenile Larus argentatus
• Mating interactions in Centrocercus urophasianus
• Occurrence of Pachyptila macgillivrayi in Australia and New Zealand

5/20

• Long-distance seasonal migration to tropics promotes genetic diversity but not gene flow in boreal avians
• Review of avian same-sex partnerships

5/16

• Phylogeography of Alectoris

5/15

• Frugivory in Buteo lineatus elegans

5/14

• New specimen of Archaeopteryx
• Patterns of postcranial skeletal fusion in Dromaius novaehollandiae and troodontids
• Macroevolutionary consequences of association between frugivory and carotenoid-dependent plumage coloration in passeriforms
• Phylogeography of Amazona oratrix

5/13

• Troodontids from the Two Medicine Formation
• Piscivory in Cratoavis cearensis
• Introgression across narrow contact zones in Pogoniulus
• Ultrastructure of feathers from the Late Cretaceous of Myanmar

5/12

• Phoenicopterus chilensis use their beak and feet to induce vortical traps for prey capture
• Nesting ecology of Antrostomus vociferus
• Taxonomy of Tympanuchus phasianellus in south-central Wyoming

5/11

• Multiple developmental origins of the avian propatagial muscle

5/9

• New avialan Amazonetta cubensis

5/8

• Positive feedback from picids on deadwood decomposition via invertebrates
• Ecological effects of cathartid exclusion

5/7

• Evolutionary integration of the limb skeleton in maniraptorans
• Reciprocal helping in Lamprotornis superbus
• Wing extension–flexion coupled aeroelastic effects improve avian gliding performance
• Reassessing the hearing of Shuvuuia deserti
• Effect of social structure on vocal flexibility in Myiopsitta monachus
• Parallelism and differences in genetic architecture across a Poecile atricapillus x Poecile carolinensis hybrid zone
• Patterns of avian elevational migration in the Himalayas

5/5

• Quantification of eggshell ornamentation in Dromaius novaehollandiae compared to that of oviraptorosaurs
• Phylogeny of Phaethornis philippii

5/4

• Multigenerational fitness outcomes of double-brooding in Passerculus sandwichensis
• Function of the "rain" call in Fringilla coelebs

5/2

• Origins of Nearctic migratory avian vagrants recorded in Europe
• Review of corvid consciousness

5/1

• Review of avian social learning and culture

4/30

• Role of wing folding in alcid underwater locomotion
• Environmental factors driving abundance of Sagittarius serpentarius in Tanzania
• Male inbreeding reduces fertility but does not accelerate in vivo sperm senescence in Coturnix japonica

4/29

• Auditory system of Circus
• Multiparasitism in avian brood parasites
• Drivers of variation in egg size in Aegithalos caudatus
• Synthetic phylogenetic tree of avians

4/28

• Repeated behavioural evolution associated with convergence of gene expression in cavity-nesting oscines
• Correlated evolution between nest architecture and the visual system of passeriforms
• Avians from the Neogene of Hungary
• Indicator indicator sometimes guide Homo sapiens to animals other than Apis mellifera
• Positive fitness consequences of immigration in Passer domesticus

4/24

• Hindlimb feather structure of Microraptor
• Harpia harpyja attack on Homo sapiens
• DNA barcoding of passeriforms from Iran

4/23

• Genetic basis of plumage differentiation in Zonotrichia capensis
• Population density and timing of breeding mediate effects of early life conditions on recruitment in Passerculus sandwichensis
• Review of feather structure

4/22

• Divergence between Rallus crepitans and Rallus elegans

4/21

• Diversification of Pogoniulus bilineatus
• Reevaluating climate change responses in Rancho La Brea avians (and mammals)

4/19

• Bone histology of troodontid metatarsals from the Dinosaur Park Formation

4/18

• Tigrisoma mexicanum foraging in cave

4/17

• Global determinants of avian climate niche breadth
• Evolution of complex displays and brain size in paradisaeids
• Homology of avian photoreceptors

4/16

• Reevaluation of niche partitioning in parulids
• Avian nest decoration may reduce predation by corvids
• Personality predicts song complexity in Malurus cyaneus
• Decision making of foraging Gyps fulvus
• Role of ecological divergence in evolution of the Arremonops rufivirgatus species complex
• Effects of short-term removal of the dominant male on vocalization in Corvus macrorynchos

4/15

• Gene flow in Pachycephala of Fiji
• Speciation with gene flow in Trochilus

4/14

• Role of facial configuration in predator recognition by Parus major

4/13

• Demographic history of Falco naumanni
• Mitonuclear incompatibility as an explanation for male-biased offspring sex ratios in Troglodytes aedon

4/11

• Corvus corone corone recognize geometric regularity
• Introgression in Cracticus

4/9

• Viewing conditions predict evolutionary diversity in avian plumage color
• Female Molothrus ater have better numerical abilities than males on a task resembling nest prospecting behavior
• Pathogen-induced alterations in fine-scale movement predict impaired reproductive success in Sturnus vulgaris

4/8

• Avian behavioral response to a total solar eclipse in North America
• Risk perception and response of Cyanopica cyanus

4/7

• Variation in psittaciform jaw musculature

4/4

• Longer wing bones in warmer climates suggest thermoregulatory role in avian wing evolution
• Chromosomal evolution in Coturnix coturnix

4/2

• Vertebral pneumaticity in Bonapartenykus ultimus
• Route flexibility is associated with headwind minimization in Sterna hirundo
• Social information use increases with decreasing winter temperature in Poecile atricapillus
• Differences in life history strategies in Poecile gambeli
• Differential allocation of maternal hormones under different social contexts in Cyanistes caeruleus
• Avian tracks from the Pleistocene of New Zealand

4/1

• Ecomorphology of strigiform hindlimbs
• Individual variation in migration and wintering patterns of Clangula hyemalis
• Avian tracks from the Vinchina Formation
• Comment and response on interpretation of microraptorian tracks

3/31

• Sleep pressure causes Coloeus monedula to trade asymmetric sleep for symmetric sleep
• Visual display in Horornis
• Sex-based dispersal in Jacana

3/28

• Temperature and stopover duration affect Arctic arrival timing and breeding success in Branta hutchinsii

3/27

• Correlates of fluorescent pigment concentration in Asio otus

3/26

• Evolutionary decoupling of forelimb reduction and digit loss in oviraptorosaurs
• Craniocervical morphological integration in avians
• Avians from the Pleistocene of Israel

3/25

• New therizinosaur Duonychus tsogtbaatari
• New avialans Hunucornis huayanen, Palaelodus haroldocontii, and Zqueheanas hebe
• Climate underpins continent-wide patterns of carotenoid-based feather color in Pogoniulus
• Phylogenetic relationships of recently extinct columbiforms
• Tool use in Cyanocitta cristata
• No evidence for olfactory kin discrimination in begging Cyanistes caeruleus nestlings

3/24

• Primary flight feather molt pattern of Fratercula arctica

3/21

• Elevational constraints on flight efficiency shape global gradients in avian wing morphology

3/20

• Plotopterid skull from the Lincoln Creek Formation
• Inhibiting avian feather development temporarily results in protofeather-like structures
• Common developmental origins of beak and snout shapes in maniraptorans (and other theropods)
• Evolution of avian over- and under-wing head-scratching
• Genomic introgression in Stercorarius

3/19

• Drivers of avian genomic change
• Convergent vocal representations between Melopsittacus undulatus and Homo sapiens forebrain motor networks
• Migratory connectivity and non-breeding habitat segregation in Calonectris
• Individual variation in spatial reference memory influences cache site choice in Petroica longipes
• Host response to conspecific brood parasitism in Mergus serrator

3/18

• Feathers of Gyps fulvus from the Pleistocene of Italy
• Otis tarda from the Pleistocene of Morocco
• Avian burrow subfossils from the Holocene of Chad

3/17

• Evolution of avian cranial kinesis as the result of increased encephalization
• Potential mimicry of lepidopteran larvae by juvenile Florisuga mellivora
• Distribution and dispersal of large haploblocks in Phylloscopus trochiloides
• Sex-specific methylomic and transcriptomic responses of the avian pineal gland to unpredictable illumination patterns

3/15

• New genus Paranothoprocta for "Nothoprocta" cinerascens
• Biological significance of forced extra-pair copulations in Turdus merula

3/14

• Avialan tracks from the Dunvegan Formation
• Comparing avian–plant interaction networks between xerophytic and humid forests in Argentina

3/13

• Species limits in Syma
• Determinants of fledgling sex ratio in Aegolius funereus

3/12

• Acanthiza pusilla use alarm calls and mimicry to deceive predators
• Past distribution and habitats of Strigops habroptila
• Dual neuromodulatory dynamics underlie song learning in Taeniopygia guttata
• Sturnus unicolor eject conspecific parasitic eggs according to egg size
• Landscape heterogeneity and novelty drive oscillatory flight in Columba livia during forebrain Wulst-dependent visual map learning
• A tension-induced morphological transition shapes avian extra-embryonic territory

3/11

• New specimens of Conchoraptor gracilis
• Population dynamics of Aquila fasciata

3/10

• Year-round movement and distribution of Aethia cristatella breeding in the Aleutian Islands

3/9

• Breeding biology of Pseudobulweria rostrata
• Exclusively nocturnal foraging by Creagrus furcatus

3/7

• Demographic drivers of cultural evolution in Parus major song
• High-elevation passeriforms grow more slowly but to heavier weights than low-elevation species
• Breeding season survival and habitat use of Callipepla squamata

3/6

• Review of wing-propelled diving in avians

3/5

• New avialans Australarus bakeri and Miolarus rectirostrum
• New avialan Myzomela babarensis
• Anatomy of Iberomesornis romerali
• Island size shapes genomic diversity in Zosterops
• Bone histology of enantiornitheans from the Xiagou Formation
• Migrating syrphids as potential food source for co-migrating insectivorous avians
• Sedimentary DNA insights into Holocene Pygoscelis adeliae populations and ecology
• Cooperative breeding does not mitigate declines in offspring care with cool and wet conditions in Malurus cyaneus
• Species poverty in the Cyclops Mountains
• Biparental nest-building by Philepitta schlegeli
• Avians from the Pleistocene of Spain
• Taxonomic status of Catharus fumosus

3/4

• Ecophysical constraints on avian adaptation and diversification
• Foraging activity by Menura novaehollandiae "farms" invertebrate prey
• Phylogenetic distribution of tool use in psittaciforms

3/2

• Cranial kinesis of Rhinoplax vigil

2/28

• Hybridization and introgression in Contopus sordidulus and Contopus virens
• Nonrandom distributions of nests in Calidris pugnax

2/27

• Special issue on the avian respiratory system
• Homing navigation is optimized to diurnal constraints in Sula sula rubripes
• Gastornithid tracks from the Chuckanut Formation

2/26

• Altitudinal variation in oxidative status between breeding and non-breeding seasons in Zonotrichia capensis

2/25

• Diversification of Aratinga, Eupsittula, and Psittacara
• Sex-specific variation in breeding-ground departure decisions during southbound migration in West Atlantic Flyway Numenius phaeopus

2/24

• Environmental variability shapes avian life history
• Bone histology of Brontornis burmeisteri and Patagornis marshi
• Repeatable selection on large ancestry blocks in the Catharus ustulatus hybrid zone
• Migration of wintering Pluvialis squatarola from Southeast Asia to north-central Siberia

2/22

• Evolutionary drivers of caching behaviour in corvids

2/21

• Sexual dichromatism increases with altitude in avians with ultraviolet sensitive vision
• Spatial consistency and repeatability of migratory flight routes in Caprimulgus europaeus

2/20

• Innovative problem solving in paleognaths
• Distribution of dominant wavelengths predicts color discrimination performance in Coloeus monedula

2/19

• Partial honesty in female polymorphism of Florisuga mellivora provides evidence for hybrid equilibrium
• Moving as a group constrains energetic efficiency of movement in Acryllium vulturinum
• Morus capensis rely on both social cues and frequently updated memory to search for prey
• Winter foraging strategies of Lanius meridionalis

2/17

• Nest type transitions as key innovations in furnariids
• Correlation between avian palatability and coloration

2/16

• Global marine flyways identified for migratory marine avians

2/14

• Developmental origins and evolution of avian pallial cell types and structures
• Similarities in enhancer-driven cell types between the avian and mammalian pallium
• Review of research on avian olfaction

2/13

• Syntopy promotes song divergence in rhinocryptids
• Adrenal response to competitive singing in male Saltator similis

2/12

• New avialan Baminornis zhenghensis
• Role of biofluorescence in visual signals of paradisaeids

2/11

• Avian foraging traces from the Green River Formation

2/10

• Innovative flavoring behavior in Cacatua goffiniana
• Phylogeny of Asio
• Three-dimensional structure of avian medullary bone
• Genetic characterization of Corvus splendens

2/9

• Variation in corticosterone levels in Vultur gryphus feathers

2/6

• New specimens of Patagorhacos terrificus

2/5

• Skull of Vegavis iaai
• Function of display behavior in Numenius phaeopus
• Selection for tameness alters play-like behavior in Gallus gallus in line with effects of domestication
  
• Pair-bond strength is consistent and related to partner responsiveness in Coloeus monedula
• Population structure of Troglodytes aedon

2/4

• Courtship behavior of Tinamus major
• Ontogeny of the pelvic girdle in Rhea americana
• Evaluating light environment as a contributor to color differences among Phylloscopus

2/3

• Feather evolution in secondarily flightless avians
• Function of distress calls in Cuculus canorus
• Winter diet of Calidris maritima
  

1/31

• Risk assessment during nest defense by female Troglodytes aedon
• Effects of nest locations on foraging behavior and physiological responses in Larus crassirostris

1/30

• Alvarezsaurs from the Allen Formation
  
• Avian olfaction and reproductive isolation
• Synthesized aberrant Cuculus canorus vocalizations disrupt communication but trigger host responses
• Corticosterone predicts double-brooding in female Passerculus sandwichensis
• Vital rates of intermittent nonbreeders and returning breeders strongly influence population dynamics of Somateria mollissima

1/29

• Craniofacial modularity in furnariids
• Volitional spatial attention is lateralized in Corvus corone
• Geographic differences in phenology of gonadal development and molt are genetically based in Parus major
• Morphological criteria for staging near-hatching embryos of Anas platyrhynchos and Anser cygnoides

1/28

• Cooperative and plural breeding in Acryllium vulturinum
• Evidence that flocking behavior in Sturnus vulgaris is rewarded by singing, flock mates, and mu opioid receptors in the nucleus accumbens
• Drivers of kin-directed cooperation in Aegithalos caudatus

1/27

• Selective disappearance based on navigational efficiency in Sterna hirundo
  

1/26

• Extreme migratory connectivity and apparent mirroring of non-breeding grounds in Luscinia megarhynchos
  
• Trophic niche partitioning by marine avians off Montague Island

1/24

• Modeling inevitability of dinornithiform extinction under human hunting
• Review of methodological insights into avian olfaction
  

1/23

• New avialan Apus boanoi
• A single gene orchestrates androgen variation underlying male mating morphs in Calidris pugnax
• Avian diversity divide in major global desert realms
• Review of endocrine and molecular regulation of seasonal avian immune function
  

1/22

• Broad geographic dispersal is not a diversification driver for emberizoids
• Migration of Halcyon senegalensis cyanoleuca
• Immune response accelerated telomere shortening in juvenile Cyanistes caeruleus
• Review of avian origins
• Review of vocal communication in corvids
  

1/21

• Diversification of Attila spadiceus
  
• Influence of migration timing and local conditions on reproductive timing in Arctic-breeding charadriiforms
  
• Avian escape behavior under different hunger pressure

1/20

• Weaker avian frugivore–plant trait matching towards the tropics and on islands
• Review of ecological drivers of variation in extent of post-fledging dependence period in accipitrids

1/19

• Ecomorphology of South American Spheniscus

1/17

• New avialan Novavis pubisculata
• Comparative development of the avian syrinx
• Winter survival of Glaucidium passerinum determined by the amount of food in hoards

1/16

• Niche partitioning in phalacrocoracids in Argentina
• Predicting marine habitat for Brachyramphus marmoratus in the Salish Sea

1/15

• Ectomycorrhizal fungus spores in corpolites of Megalapteryx didinus
• Social associations across species during nocturnal avian migration
• Calypte anna use compensatory eye movements to stabilize rotational and translational visual motion
• Torpor frequency and duration of Selasphorus correlated with lipid reserves
• Hindlimb muscle ontogeny of Aptenodytes forsteri
  

1/14

• Adjustable wind selectivity in Puffinus puffinus implies knowledge of foraging landscape
• Repeated successful nest sharing and cooperation between Tyrannus verticalis and a Tyrannus verticalis × Tyrannus forficatus hybrid

1/13

• Breeding habitat use of Cardellina canadensis

1/12

• Review of hybridization in sternines

1/11

• Predictors of reproductive success in Eudyptula minor

1/10

• Genetic structure of Phalcoboenus australis

1/9

• Drivers of avian settlement of New Zealand
  
• Migration of Ninox leucopsis

1/8

• Phylogenetic position of Starnoenas cyanocephala
• Potential breeding sites of male Calidris pugnax
  

1/7

• New avialans Pseudocrypturus danielsi and Pseudocrypturus gracilipes
• Predator recognition by Lanius collurio

1/6

• Casque structure of Rhinoplax vigil
• Differences in acoustic structure between broadcast and whisper songs of Myadestes obscurus

1/4

• Individual variability in phenology of Eudyptula minor induces consequences on breeding and carry-over effects

1/3

• New specimen of Archaeopteryx
• Drivers of signal evolution in meliphagideans
• Middle ear mechanics of Tyto furcata
• Correlates of beak shape variation in Neotropical passeriforms