Ostriches more ancient than previously thought

A good article on how different types of birds related.







Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted): Ratite Flight: Lost But Not Found

Additionally, if you look closely at the above phylogenetic tree, you will notice that it is the ostriches that are the sister group to all the other ratites, not the tinamous, as originally thought.

Further, these phylogenomic relationships remain unchanged after adding crocodilian DNA (crocodiles are the sister group to birds) and DNA from two additional neognath groups (figure 2);