Contrary to expectations, the rate of bird evolution appears to be accelerating.
Scientists discovered this by creating an evolutionary tree linking all 9,993, currently living, known birds species and mapping where on Earth and when each species diverged from others.
They theorise that this accelerating evolution is due to the mobility of birds. If conditions are not favourable birds are able to relocate relatively easily - creating many new areas of speciation around the world.
Read more at Simon Fraser University