title: Were bowerbirds part of the New Zealand fauna?
abstract: Bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchidae) have previously been considered to be confined to the Australo-Papuan continental plate. We provide molecular evidence that the extinct New Zealand Piopio Turnagra capensis is, in fact, a bowerbird. Such a finding is surprising on biogeographical grounds. However, recent molecular evidence on the relationships of the New Zealand moas and kiwis with the Australo-Papuan flightless birds suggests the need for a reassessment of current views on the origins of New Zealand's fauna.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ornithology, Museum of Victoria, Abbotsford, Australia.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Christidis
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Leeton
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Westerman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001717:Birds / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009520:New Zealand; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers