Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Convergent Evolution

Convergent Evolution

Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.

Limits to Natural Selection

Limits to Natural Selection

Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.

Speciation Rates

Speciation Rates

The Evidence for Evolution

The Evidence for Evolution

Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.

Gene Flow

Gene Flow

Gene flow is the transfer of genes among populations, resulting from either the dispersal of gametes or from the migration of individuals.

Genetics of Speciation

Genetics of Speciation

Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

A comprehensive reference genome assembly dataset of birds inhabiting Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands.

GigaScience·2026

Same author

Draft assemblies for 177 bird species enhance genus-level coverage.

GigaScience·2026

Same author

Parallel elevational replacement of hosts and parasites in a highly susceptible songbird genus.

Oecologia·2026

Same author

Last Glacial Maximum diversification implicated by continent-wide population structure in an avian top predator, the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus).

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2025

Same author

Phylogenetic and ecological drivers of the avian lung mycobiome and its potentially pathogenic component.

Communications biology·2025

Same author

Genomic data reveal that the Cuban blue-headed quail-dove (<i>Starnoenas cyanocephala</i>) is a biogeographic relict.

Biology letters·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Building an Enhanced Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Insect Flight

Building an Enhanced Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Insect Flight

Published on: March 10, 2021

Predictable evolution toward flightlessness in volant island birds.

Natalie A Wright¹, David W Steadman², Christopher C Witt³

¹Department of Biology and Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001; Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812; nataliestudiesbirds@gmail.com.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|April 13, 2016

Summary

Island birds evolve smaller flight muscles and longer legs, especially on predator-scarce islands. This subtle shift toward flightlessness occurs across diverse bird families, impacting dispersal and diversification potential.

Keywords:

birds flight island rule islands morphology

More Related Videos

A Simple Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Flight in Insects

A Simple Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Flight in Insects

Published on: December 10, 2015

Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill

Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill

Published on: August 6, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Building an Enhanced Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Insect Flight

Building an Enhanced Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Insect Flight

Published on: March 10, 2021

A Simple Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Flight in Insects

A Simple Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Flight in Insects

Published on: December 10, 2015

Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill

Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill

Published on: August 6, 2018

Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Island biogeography
Comparative anatomy

Background:

Birds are known for rapid evolution on islands, often developing unique traits.
The "island rule" regarding body size changes is inconsistently applied to birds.
Convergent evolution towards flightlessness is observed in island birds, involving muscle and limb modifications.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if volant island bird populations exhibit subtle morphological changes converging towards a flightless form.
To identify patterns in avian evolutionary changes in response to island environments and predation pressures.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of flight muscle size and leg length in island versus continental bird species.
Examination of 366 populations across the Caribbean and Pacific to correlate morphology with insularity and predator scarcity.
Assessment of shifts in limb investment in relation to island size and predator presence.

Main Results:

Island bird species possess smaller flight muscles compared to their continental counterparts.
Reduced flight muscles and elongated legs are linked to increased insularity and decreased predator abundance.
Morphological shifts favoring hindlimbs over forelimbs, mirroring flightless birds, were observed on smaller, predator-limited islands.

Conclusions:

Island bird populations show a consistent evolutionary trajectory towards flightlessness, even while remaining volant.
These predictable morphological changes can reduce flight capacity and limit dispersal-driven diversification.
The observed patterns hold across diverse avian families and orders, indicating a widespread evolutionary trend.