Science Daily reports that Tropical Birds awaited the formation of land as a bridge between North and South America before moving northwards, this depite their ability to fly.

Accoring to a study by the University of British Columbia, many birds merely flew across the then ocean divide, but not so the tropical birds. 

"This is a bit surprising," says co-author Dolph Schluter, UBC zoology professor and Canada Research Chair in Evolutionary Biology. "Couldn't the birds have flown across the gap? Some did, but most tropical birds waited for the land crossing." Researchers believe it could have been due to the fact that tropical birds  are unable to fly long distances over oceans.

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