Anatomical specializations for nocturnality in a critically endangered parrot, the Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus).

ABSTRACT: The shift from a diurnal to nocturnal lifestyle in vertebrates is generally associated with either enhanced visual sensitivity or a decreased reliance on vision. Within birds, most studies have focused on differences in the visual system across all birds with respect to nocturnality-diurnality. The critically endangered Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), a parrot endemic to New Zealand, is an example of a species that has evolved a nocturnal lifestyle in an otherwise diurnal lineage, but nothing is known about its' visual system. Here, we provide a detailed morphological analysis of the orbits, brain, eye, and retina of the Kakapo and comparisons with other birds. Morphometric analyses revealed that the Kakapo's orbits are significantly more convergent than other parrots, suggesting an increas

SUBMITTER: Corfield JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3157909 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature