It was a fairly standard explanation for the spread of species before the theory of plate tectonics took hold in the 1960s, but Lowe's hypothesis, in turn, has not stood still.
Until the last decade, Swedish evolutionary biologist and ornithologist Martin Strvander analyzed the bird's genetic material. In 2019, he and his colleagues published a paper explaining the issue at once.
The study concluded that the closest relative of the saracurinha is the small gray tanager, which inhabits wet fields, swamps, and scattered swamps in eastern Argentina, southern Uruguay, and in some parts of the coast of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. It's an endangered species – but the most important thing in this case is other information.
Both the South American bird and its mysterious mid-Atlantic cousin descend from an ancestor that could actually fly. In other words, Strvander concluded that these ancient species reached the inaccessible island not by foot, but by flight.
Then development took its course. As happened on other islands that did not have predators, this bird lost its ability to fly. The problem is that flying is expensive, requires a lot of energy, and has proven ineffective there.
Today, the saracurinha, whose scientific name is Lateralius rugersi, creeps through the island's vegetation, feeding on invertebrates, seeds, worms and small fruits. But this paradise is threatened for her.
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