Birds can evolve so fast that scientists can watch it happen

You can count on your fingers the number of years it takes for a bird species to visibly evolve, biologists are discovering.

Two new studies add to increasing evidence that even large, long-lived animal species can adapt physically and genetically to changes in their environment — and even give rise to new species — faster than we ever thought.

A new paper published today shows endangered birds of prey called snail kites in Florida have grown measurably bigger beaks in the past decade as they consume an invasive snail that's five times bigger than the one they normally ate, and changes can already be seen in their DNA too.

That comes on the heels of a study published last week that showed a new species of Darwin's finch recently arose in the Galapagos over the course of just five years.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/ev...ches-1.4421594