Re: Yet more on dinosaur quad climbers

[Mike Habib <biologyinmotion@gmail.com>]

On Jul 12, 2013, at 2:31 PM, Ruben Safir <ruben@mrbrklyn.com> wrote:

> Also, for almost all birds, at breeding season, the beaks turn color
> but to imply beaks evoloved for dispaly makes as much sense as flight
> feathers.

This argument makes no sense to me.  Sure, the ancestral function of beaks is 
probably mostly feeding.  But beak *color*, which is what you are referencing, 
probably did evolve under a largely display-oriented context.  Besides, I never 
said that flight feathers evolved "for display".  I merely pointed out that 
modern birds regularly use the wings for non-flight functions.  That is all.  

--Mike