Re: Preview of new stegosaur plate paper

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Jaime Headden wrote:

> Well, purely display function is rare in nature and usually restricted VERY 
> sexually dimorphic animals, among them some mammals and birds. Obviously, 
> waterfowl, landfowl and ratites are very dimorphic birds whereas other 
> birds tend to exhibit monomorphic body form, especially in the "higher land 
> bird" groups such as parrots, pigeons, passerines, and raptors. In these 
> birds,
> behavior plays a more important role in sexual selection than does 
> morphology (well, not entirely, they may still be visually dimorphic, such 
> as coloration).

The birds-of-paradise, which are passerines, are one very notable and very 
ostentatious exception to this 'monomorphic' body form.  Other strikingly 
dimorphic passeriforms include the cock-of-the-rock and relatives 
(Cotingidae) and the lyrebirds (Menuridae).



Tim