I ❤ Swifts and Hummingbirds

Two of the most agile birds have been found to have a common ancestor. Even though the flight patterns of swifts and hummingbirds vary vastly, they have been found by fossil records to be ancestors of Eocypselus Rowei. The wings on the Eocypselus Rowei were found to be smaller than the swifts, but larger than the hummingbirds. This fossil suggests that the bird could not hover or glide very efficiently. The lack of ability to accomplish these skills suggests that this was a turning point in evolution suggesting that hummingbirds and swifts are very closely related to this bird.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350048/description/News_in_Brief_Fossil_illuminates_ancestry_of_swifts_and_hummingbirds