A Study of Morphological Modifications in Birds | Original Article

ABSTRACT:

Birds are ideal models for studying speciation because of their wide range of traits and accompanying spatial patterns. For centuries, morphological procedures were the preferred method for determining the degree of relatedness between species and intraspecific variation, until molecular genetic investigations gravely questioned traditional morphology-based results. However, with the advancement of multivariate statistics and the ease with which morphological, phylogenetic, and ecological information can be combined, morphology is being reconsidered as a valuable tool for ornithological research. This chapter examines the most essential features of morphological variation in birds, including how to assess its plasticity and how phenotypic variation can be included into a larger evolutionary framework that explains avian body alterations in light of speciation events.