1.93 million-year-old Kākāpō parrot evolved green and olive feathers to evade extinct predators, study finds.
A study in PLOS Biology reveals that New Zealand's critically endangered Kākāpō parrot evolved two feather colors, green and olive, to evade predation by extinct birds like the Haast's eagle. Analyzing genome data from 168 individuals, researchers found these color variations emerged about 1.93 million years ago due to visual hunting pressures. Understanding this evolution may aid conservation efforts, as the species could lose color diversity without intervention in 30 generations.
September 10, 2024
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