REAL LIFE NEWS: SUPRISINGLY, FALCONS ARE RELATED TO PARROTS NOT HAWKS
by Hazed
Falcons are birds of prey, and they look and act a lot like other birds of prey: eagles, hawks and so on. So until recently falcons were considered to be part of the same family.
But it turns out, they are not. Falcons are actually much more closely related to parrots. We know this because it’s now possible to compare the DNA of different creatures rather than just go by their looks or their behaviour.
An example of how similar-looking birds are not actually related very closely can be seen in penguins and puffins. They are both stocky, with black and white plumage and small wings. But their similarities are due to the fact that they have both adapted to extremely aquatic lifestyles rather than being close relations. It’s called convergent evolution.
That’s what happened with falcons. They look similar to other raptors: they are aerial predators, with similar colouring and a strong hooked bill used to tear apart their prey. They are relatively solitary. In fact the only difference between them is that falcons rely on speedy flying to actively pursue their prey, while hawks and eagles tend to soar as they watch for it.
DNA analysis shows that falcons and parrots are closely related. They share a branch on the tree of life, having split off from the lineage that led to hawks, eagles and so on.
New and fascinating discoveries about bird species are being made all the time as labs around the world use DNA analysis to answer intriguing questions about how they relate to each other. Who knows what we will find out next – maybe pigeons will turn out to be related to rhinoceroses!
Source: https://www.birdnote.org/blog/2015/02/parrots-and-falcons-%E2%80%94-long-lost-cousins
