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Birding/house wrens - absolute age of species?

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Expert: - 5/27/2010


Question
I recall reading somewhere that the common loon has changed little for about sixty million years in terms of evolutionary development ( cranked wing for example ), and was wondering if you could tell me how far back the house wren goes without having changed in any radical way...?

they are such wonderful little creatures and bring such joy when they sing and play in the back yard I was hoping to learn a little more about them.

Answer
This is a very complex question that has no simple answer. There are many kinds of wrens over the world and many look very similar. Loons fossilized readily because they sank in a lake and were covered by sediment. There are very few fossils of wrens, however. Wrens have been around maybe ten million years and have developed into slightly different forms, but the House Wren, as plain as it is probably has not changed much.

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Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

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