What phenomenon is illustrated by hummingbirds and hawks?

The correct answer is convergent evolution. This phenomenon occurs when different species independently evolve similar traits or adaptations, often as a response to similar environmental pressures or ecological niches. Hummingbirds and hawks, although they belong to different taxonomic groups, exhibit similar adaptations related to flight, such as streamlined bodies and the ability to hover or maneuver adeptly in the air to catch prey.

This similarity arises not from a shared ancestry, but rather from facing comparable challenges in their environments that necessitate similar adaptations. Therefore, the adaptations in hummingbirds and hawks highlight the concept of convergent evolution, where unrelated species evolve comparable traits due to similar selective pressures.

Divergent evolution, on the other hand, involves related species evolving different traits due to varying environmental pressures. Adaptive radiation refers to the rapid evolution of many species from a single ancestor in different ecological niches, while co-evolution is the influence of one species on the evolution of another. These concepts do not apply to the similarities observed in the flight adaptations of hummingbirds and hawks.