Re: FUCHSIA and the Ostrom Symposium Volume (long...)

["James R. Cunningham" <jrccea@bellsouth.net>]

Graydon wrote:

> > But all cursorial birds tend to fly as rarely as possible, or not at all,
> > arguing against the idea that flight is an advantage for a cursorial animal.
> > (This is Ebel's main argument against cursorial models.)
>
> Ebel should chase chickens.

Yeah.

> Note that chickens and other semi-flightless domestic birds will use
> their wings to steer and to generate lift to help them over obstacles;

When I'm chasing a chicken and he launches and flies 50 yards and lands uphill
from his launch point, not only do I say, "to heck with this", it fits my
definition of flight.  In both senses of the word.  I don't see chickens as
semi-flightless even though we've been selectively breeding them for increased
wingloading for a long time now.

> > But then... will they use the flight stroke?
>
> Sure.  Becuase the flight stroke is just 'turn real sharply' or 'don't
> fall off this rock face'; there's a smooth escalator, observed in modern
> birds, between 'waves arms, very showy' (ostriches) and the arctic tern,
> migrating from pole to pole on long tapered wings.

I've seen film of ostriches attempting to generate turning forces with their
wings.  I didn't pay much attention, but I wouldn't much doubt that they were
successful.