Re: Hone and Benton 2007 (their second paper)

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Michael Habib wrote:

> Bounding passerines will often stay highly tucked for a moment, large 
> raptors usually start a flapping cycle right from the branch (they 
> generally elevate the wings as they launch or just after).
>
> As for tropicbirds and frigatebirds, they both have extremely reduced hind 
> limbs.

First of all, thanks for a very helpful answer.

Secondly, and to get very hypothetical, let's say we had a bird with long 
legs, that can leap powerfully, but is incapable of a ground-to-air 
take-off.  Let's also say that it's a rather poor flier that cannot fold its 
wings to the same extent as modern birds.  The bird in question is something 
like, oh I dunno, _Archaeopteryx_.  (I'm not saying that Archie was 
incapable of a ground-to-air take-off; but for the sake of argument I'll 
posit that it requires elevation in order to achieve flight speed).  How do 
you think _Archaeopteryx_ would take off from a tree?

Cheers

Tim

_________________________________________________________________
PC Magazine?s 2007 editors? choice for best Web mail?award-winning Windows 
Live Hotmail. 
http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_pcmag_0507