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North American Thrasher Mean Bill Size and Habitat Temperature RangeSpecies Mean bill surface area (cm2cm squared) Mean maximum temperature of warmest month (°C) Mean minimum temperature of coldest month (°C) Brown thrasher 1.86 30.40 −4.29 Bendire’s thrasher 1.98 36.57 0.24 Long-billed thrasher 2.24 35.27 8.82 Cozumel thrasher 2.28 33.27 18.21 Ocellated thrasher 3.26 27.56 5.45
It has been hypothesized that since birds can dissipate excess heat through their bills, bill size should increase with habitat temperature. To evaluate this hypothesis for a 2021 study, Charlotte Probst and colleagues gathered data on mean bill surface area of species of North American thrashers (genus: Toxostoma) as well as on climate conditions of the birds’ native habitats. Based on their data, Probst and colleagues concluded that the hypothesis was not fully supported.
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to support Probst and colleagues’ conclusion?