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How Birds of a Feather Flock Together (5 of 6)

Caption: A nightjar on a rock. Our study uncovered some very unexpected relationships, such as the colorful and diurnal hummingbirds within a group of nocturnal and cryptic birds like nightjars. This result alters our understanding of trait evolution, such that some diurnal birds evolved from noctural ancestors. This image relates to an article that appeared in the June 27, 2008, issue of Science , published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. Shannon Hackett and colleagues at Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Ill. was titled "A Phylogenomic Study of Birds Reveals Their Evolutionary History."

Credit: Image courtesy of Sushma Reddy

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