Re: AW: how many bird-species right after the K-T ?

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

On Sat, Oct 17th, 2009 at 12:14 PM, B tH <soylentgreenistrex@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Of these, what was the largest in size?
> It would seem the smaller the animal the 'better' its chances at the time - 
> both from the
> flaming/smoking fallout and crappy weather for the next several months, in 
> that they could hide
> in small crannies and didn't require as much to eat.

Then again; the larger the bird, the further it could have traveled to forage 
for food. Larger birds 
may also have been able to eat a wider variety of things.

My money would have been on medium-sized generalists, perhaps something about 
the size of a 
pigeon (but with the broad diet of a crow). Tiny birds tend to be more 
specialised feeders, and 
seeds and/or small insects may have been scarce for several years after the 
impact. Anything 
large enough to scavenge from carcasses, or to capture small reptiles or 
mammals, may have 
fared better.

-- 
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Dann Pigdon
GIS / Archaeologist                Australian Dinosaurs
Melbourne, Australia               http://home.alphalink.com.au/~dannj
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