I am still far from being a regular blogger (and I have no issue with that), but I have at last broken the trend of increasingly shirking the blog with each passing year. On the other hand, I posted significantly less on the
Tumblr in 2014 than in 2013. (There was, in fact, a greater
absolute number of posts on the Tumblr last year, but the average concentration of posts per month was far lower.) This was, at least in part, due to the fact that I was working on a
story arc for the comic over the summer months, something I have not done since the first year of this blog. The basic concept for that story had been drifting in my mind for at least a couple years, so it was good to get it out of my system. While that translated to my falling behind on answering Tumblr questions, it was also an important contributor to last year's increased post count on here. Circumstances permitting, there is more to come.
In retrospect, I did quite a large amount of traveling over the past year (to
New York,
Arizona,
Tokyo, and
Ohio), which further added to the blog post boost. In spite of long periods of stagnation on the comic (per usual), I continued to receive
fan art, for which I am immensely grateful. Last but not least, I did not forget about
April Fools'.
 |
| Cover image for the "Turn to Stone" storyline. |
What's new with maniraptors? I don't yet foresee a year where the answer will not be "Lots!" In January, new specimens of
Hongshanornis,
Pengornis, and (the possibly raptorial)
Bohaiornis were described. A
review on bird behavior in the fossil record was published. The enigmatic paravian
Zhongornis, known only from a juvenile specimen, was
suggested to be a scansoriopterygid, but there are
reasons to be suspect of this result. A
hoatzin from the Miocene of Kenya was reported. Powered flight was found to have driven the
reduced genome size of birds. Falcons were discovered to pursue prey using
visual motion cues. New studies came out on the benefits of
V-formation flight, the
aerodynamics of
Microraptor, and timing the
origin of neornithines. Newly-named maniraptors included the enantiornithines
Parvavis chuxiongensis,
Parabohaiornis martini, and
Longusunguis kurochkini, the troodont
Gobivenator mongoliensis, the Eocene hoatzin
Protoazin parisiensis, and the Paleocene avialan
Australornis lovei.
 |
| The skull of Gobivenator mongoliensis, from Tsuihiji et al., 2014. |
In February,
mutualism was documented between green-backed firecrown hummingbirds and cryptogamic plants. The
pale eyes of jackdaws were found to function in deterring intruders. Chickens with
artificial long tails were used to study how non-avian dinosaurs might have walked. Brown thornbills were reported to mimic
different alarm calls in response to different threats.
Isotopic evidence was used to support the notion that
Gastornis, frequently portrayed as a fearsome predator, was probably herbivorous. New studies came out on avian
forelimb development, the
evolution of melanosomes in maniraptors and other feathered dinosaurs (which also discovered that the feathers of
Caudipteryx may have been black), the aerodynamics of
diving flight in peregrine falcons, the relationship between avian
ecology and caudal skeletal morphology, and the efficiency of
lift generation in common swifts.
 |
| Experimental design of chicken walking study, from Grossi et al., 2014. |
In March, great tits were reported to deliberately
withhold information from competitors. The mechanisms of
color production in the plumage of male Lawes's parotia were described.
Retaliatory behaviors by avian brood parasites were found to be promoted by plastic defensive behavior in their hosts. Another study showed that there are circumstances under which a host can
benefit from brood parasites. The reconstruction of colors from fossilized pigments that has been a growing field these past few years was
questioned, suggesting that supposed fossil pigments are really traces of bacteria. There were multiple presentations on both sides of this controversy at the SVP conference later in the year, so little doubt there will be much more to say about this subject in the near future. New studies came out on the
phylogenetic position of the spotted wren babbler,
causal understanding in New Caledonian crows, and the
extinction of moas. Newly-named maniraptors included the Pliocene penguin
Eudyptes calauina and the long-awaited large caenagnathid
Anzu wyliei, too late for the oviraptorosaur-heavy 2013 but very much welcome.
 |
| Skeletal reconstruction and fossil material of Anzu wyliei, from Lamanna et al., 2014. |
In April,
visual effects of bowers built by great bowerbirds were described. The interpretation of
Archaeopteryx as having had elongate covert feathers was
disputed.
Field observations of the rare black-throated blue robin were published.
New specimens of
Yanornis were described. New studies came out on the
diversification of hummingbirds, the
growth of
Gargantuavis, the ability of birds to learn
structural efficacy of nesting material, the understanding of
social relations among common ravens, quantification of
feather wettability, and the
running performance of bar-headed geese under low oxygen conditions.
 |
| Phylogeny of hummingbirds, from McGuire et al., 2014. |
In May,
flexible alarm mimicry by fork-tailed drongos was published (which had been previously filmed in the 2013 BBC documentary series
Africa). The
braincase of
Nothronychus and the
jaw musculature of the laughing kookaburra were described, as was a
new specimen of
Zhouornis.
Long-axis rotation was found and quantified in avian bipedal locomotion. An extremely well-preserved
griffon vulture fossil specimen with soft tissues was reported.
Pseudaptenodytes macraei was
redescribed.
Pumiliornis was found to have
eaten pollen. Hoopoe eggshells were discovered to
enhance adhesion of symbiont-carrying secretions. New studies came out on the function of
therizinosaur claws,
paleognath phylogeny, the development of
feather asymmetry, the
evolution of WAIR, and the
post-fledging dispersal of king penguins. Newly-named maniraptors included the confuciusornithiform-like Cretaceous pygostylian
Evgenavis nobilis, the Cretaceous euornithine
Tianyuornis cheni, the Eocene gruiform
Galligeranoides boriensis, and the possibly scansorial enantiornithine
Fortunguavis xiaotaizicus.
 |
| Virtual cast of exceptionally-preserved griffon vulture fossil, from Iurino et al., 2014. |
In June, "
Saurornitholestes"
robustus was
reevaluated as a troodont. Eurasian jays were found to use
acoustic cues to pilfer the caches of others. The Wakatobi flowerpecker was
re-split from the gray-sided flowerpecker. The possibility of
finding carotenoid pigments in feathers preserved in amber was evaluated. New studies came out on the
bite performance of loggerhead shrikes, the identification of
Euryapteryx moa chicks, the
population fluctuations of passenger pigeons, the
genomic landscape underlying the carrion-hooded crow complex, the evolution of avian
egg patterns,
elaborate signals in tanagers, and
carotenoid-pigemented plumage, the
leap and strike kinetics of barn owls, and the development of
zygodactyl feet. Newly-named maniraptors included
Spizelloides, a new genus for the American tree sparrow.
 |
| Wakatobi flowerpecker (right column) compared to gray-sided flowerpecker (left column), from Kelly et al., 2014. |
In July, an excellent
new specimen of
Archaeopteryx was described. (This paper additionally coined the name Pennaraptora for the least inclusive clade containing oviraptorosaurs and paravians, a term we had been sorely in need of.)
Anatomical change through ontogeny in chickens was documented in detail.
Ichthyornis was reported
from Mexico for the first time.
New material of
Itemirus was described, supporting the idea that it was a dromaeosaurid, though
skepticism exists about this assignment and conclusion.
New material representing very large specimens was also described for
Palaeeudyptes. The
oldest known avian eggshell, hailing from the Early Cretaceous, was reported. New studies came out on the wing
dynamics and
efficacy of hovering hummingbirds, the
vocal repertoire of African penguins, and the evolution of the
modern avian tail. Newly-named maniraptors included the pelagornithid
Pelagornis sandersi (one of the largest known flying birds), the microraptorian
Changyuraptor yangi, and the Miocene duck
Bambolinetta lignitifila (formerly a species of
Anas), while the Miocene stem albatross
Chenornis was sunk into
Plotornis.
 |
| New specimen of Archaeopteryx, from Foth et al., 2014. |
In August,
sustained miniaturization in avian evolution was supported.
Aerial righting behavior was documented in juvenile chukar, suggesting yet another possible function for incipient wings.
No evidence for attraction to shiny objects in magpies was concluded by one study. New studies came out on
tinamou phylogeny, the evolution of
migration in New World songbirds,
sweet taste perception in hummingbirds, and the
semilunate carpal in theropods, and the coevolution of the avian
caudal skeleton and tail feathers (with implications for reconstructing the tail feathers of extinct birds). Newly-named maniraptors included the enantiornithine
Grabauornis lingyuanensis.
 |
| Aerial righting behavior in juvenile chukar, from Evangelista et al., 2014. |
In September,
social transmission of tool use was documented in Goffin's cockatoos. The Rodrigues solitaire was
digitally reconstructed.
Anchiornis and
Sapeornis were argued to
lack sterna. The elaborate tail plumage of peacocks was found to
not hinder their ability to take off. New studies came out on the evolution of avian
wrist bones and
rates of evolution in coelurosaurs (including maniraptors).
 |
| Evolution of wrist bones in theropods, from Botelho et al., 2014. |
In October, great antshrikes were reported to have
learned to use tools in order to prey on invasive land snails. The Eocene paleognath
Palaeotis was
restudied. Long-billed hermit hummingbirds were found to have
sexually dimorphic bills used as weapons by the males.
Extreme nomadism in banded stilts and
prenatal learning in superb fairy wrens were documented. The
skull anatomy of
Haplocheirus was described. Male great bustards were shown to
consume more poisonous foods than females do. Running birds were discovered to
prioritize leg safety on uneven terrain. New studies came out on
cotinga phylogeny, the
diversification of crown-group rails, the
aerodynamics of
Microraptor (again),
ontogenetic scaling in the hindlimb muscles of greater rhea, the
expansion of ostriches into India, and the function of
wing tucks in steppe eagles. Newly-named maniraptors included the enantiornithine
Eopengornis martini, the Cretaceous euornithine
Iteravis huchzermeyeri, and the basal avialan
Jeholornis curvipes (the holotype specimen of which was initially
going to be described in a different manuscript).
 |
| Long-billed hermit hummingbird, photographed by Kradlum, licensed. |
In November, the
cranial anatomy of
Erlikosaurus was described. Brood parasitism was
elicited in zebra finches by nest destruction. The
osteohistology of
Hesperornis and pygoscelid penguins was compared. Juvenile cinereous mourners were reported to
mimic toxic caterpillars.
New specimens of
Scaniacypselus were published. New studies came out on the evolution of avian
egg shape, the
microbiome of New World vultures, and the function of
cassowary casques. Newly-named maniraptors included the Pliocene vulture
Aegypius varswaterensis, the Cretaceous euornithine
Gansus zheni (which, as it turns out, is
probably the same as Iteravis), and the
Sulawesi streaked flycatcher (Muscicapa sodhii).
 |
| Juvenile cinereous mourner (left) and contemporaneous toxic caterpillar (right), from Londoño et al., 2014. |
In December, a massive paper drop landed on our heads as the
numerous findings of the
Avian Phylogenomics Project were simultaneously published. Hummingbirds were found to control hovering flight by
stabilizing visual motion. New
cultural traditions were experimentally introduced to great tits. The
endocranium of
Conchoraptor was redescribed.
Bird tracks were reported from the Cedar Mountain Formation for the first time.
Spontaneous analogical reasoning in crows was documented. The white-faced ground sparrow was
split from the Prevost's ground sparrow. New material of
Microraptor (used a couple years ago to reconstruct its plumage coloration) and
Caenagnathasia was described. New studies came out on
wing versus leg investment in birds and the
anatomy and ontogeny of paleognath hindlimbs.
 |
| Phylogeny of extant birds based on whole genome analysis, from Jarvis et al., 2014. |
