The ebb and flow of the Taiwan Strait shaped patterns of gene flow between two partridge species Genetic analyses point to several bouts of gene flow.

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The ebb and flow of the Taiwan Strait shaped patterns of gene flow between two partridge species
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/09/28/t...

#ornithology

Puffin population structure: There is more than meets the eye Genetic study provides evidence for four genetic clusters.

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Puffin population structure: There is more than meets the eye
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/09/21/p...

#ornithology

Genetic mismatches in the Long-tailed Finch Exploring the interactions between mitochondria, sex chromosomes and beak color.

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Genetic mismatches in the Long-tailed Finch
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/08/31/g...

#ornithology

Extensive introgression between Red-naped and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Genomic analyses uncover many advanced generation hybrids.

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Extensive introgression between Red-naped and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/09/14/e...

#ornithology

What is a species anyway? Seeing “species as individuals” helps to understand taxonomic disagreements.

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What is a species anyway?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/09/07/w...

#ornithology

Blog post coming in a few weeks. 😉

Stuck in a Ruff: Having a supergene is not always super Female Ruffs with a large inversion have lower reproductive success.

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Stuck in a Ruff: Having a supergene is not always super
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/08/24/s...

#ornithology

A Mediterranean Mystery: Barn Owls on Crete and Cyprus have distinct origins Their current genetic make-up is shaped by ancestral populations and ongoing gene flow.

New story on the Avian Hybrids blog!

A Mediterranean Mystery: Barn Owls on Crete and Cyprus have distinct origins
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/04/15/a...

Based on the Molecular Ecology study by Ana Paula Machado, Alexandros Topaloudis et al. | #ornithology

🥳New paper in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Cotinga communication constrained: body size and lekking behaviour influence cotinga song (Aves: Cotingidae)
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

#ornithology

Funny coincidence. 😅

I just started reading "Fatherland" by Robert Harris (a novel in which Germany has won WW2).

Today is Tuesday 14 April. And the first part of the book starts on Tuesday 14 April...

Should we save the Kākāpō? A philosophical perspective on nature conservation.

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Should we save the Kākāpō?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/08/17/s...

#ornithology

The Road to Progress: Acknowledge Problems, but Focus on Solutions A reflection on the importance of problem-solving.

✍ New blog post! The Road to Progress: Acknowledge Problems, but Focus on Solutions
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/04/13/t...

Civilizations don’t fail because they face problems, but because they fail to solve them. This shift in thinking also changes how we approach challenges.

Does founder-effect speciation occur in the Silvereye? Testing this controversial speciation model with genomic data.

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Does founder-effect speciation occur in the Silvereye?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/08/10/d...

#ornithology

How did snowfinches adapt to high-altitude environments? Were the adaptations already present in the ancestor or not?

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How did snowfinches adapt to high-altitude environments?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/08/03/h...

#ornithology

Convergent evolution of color morphs in Skuas How far do the similarities reach on the genetic level?

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Convergent evolution of color morphs in Skuas
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/07/27/c...

#ornithology

Two American sparrows with similar mtDNA: Rapid speciation or hybridization? Analyses of the nuclear genome provide the answer to this question.

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Two American sparrows with similar mtDNA: Rapid speciation or hybridization?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/07/20/t...

#ornithology

The Privilege of Being a Student A reflection on the intrinsic and extrinsic factors of student motivation.

✍ New blog post! The Privilege of Being a Student
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/04/08/t...

After giving a lecture to ca. 25% of the enrolled students, I found myself wondering: what is behind this low attendance? It's tempting to blame student motivation, but the reality is more nuanced.

Sure! Feel free to leave your question in the DM.

How Amazon parrots spread across the Greater Antilles Mitochondrial DNA points to a stepping-stone scenario from Jamaica to Puerto Rico.

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How Amazon parrots spread across the Greater Antilles
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/07/16/h...

#ornithology

Rapid diversification of shearwaters following a Pliocene extinction event Including a short reflection on the benefits and pitfalls of fossils.

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Rapid diversification of shearwaters following a Pliocene extinction event
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/04/08/r...

Based on the Journal of Biogeography paper by Joan Ferrer Obiol and his colleagues | #ornithology

My latest Digest for Evolution is now available online. One of my favorite pieces to write. 😉

Digest: Chance and necessity shape introgression patterns across three replicate avian hybrid zones
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...

#ornithology

Scientists “resurrect” ancient proteins to understand how penguins can hold their breath for so long Unraveling the evolutionary changes to the hemoglobin protein in penguins.

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Scientists “resurrect” ancient proteins to understand how penguins can hold their breath for so long
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/07/13/s...

#ornithology

Ancient gene flow complicates phylogenetic analyses of leaf warblers Understanding underlying processes helps to select the “correct” genomic loci.

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Ancient gene flow complicates phylogenetic analyses of leaf warblers
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/07/09/a...

#ornithology

The danger of few genetic markers: Revisiting introgression between Chukar and Red-legged Partridge In contrast to previous studies, genomic analyses point to little gene flow between these species.

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The danger of few genetic markers: Revisiting introgression between Chukar and Red-legged Partridge
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/07/06/t...

#ornithology

Singing a different song: Incipient speciation in the Small Tree Finch Two island populations are diverging genetically and acoustically.

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Singing a different song: Incipient speciation in the Small Tree Finch
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/07/02/s...

#ornithology

Splitting the Black-throated Trogon into five species An integrative approach to taxonomy leads to the description of a new species

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Splitting the Black-throated Trogon into five species
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/06/29/s...

#ornithology

Defining the “True Geese”: Why many geese are actually ducks Phylogenetic and morphological differences between “true” and “false” geese.

New story on the Avian Hybrids blog!

Defining the “True Geese”: Why many geese are actually ducks
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/04/01/d...

No April fool, but a light-hearted post about the difference between ducks and geese. Enjoy! #ornithology

My blog post on why a river should not be a co-author has been covered by Jerry Coyne on Why Evolution is True. 😀
whyevolutionistrue.com/2026/03/31/m...

Original post can be found here: jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/03/30/p...

The extinct cave-rails were not rails Ancient DNA analyses also uncover an interesting biogeographic connection.

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The extinct cave-rails were not rails
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2022/06/25/t...

#ornithology

This figure... 😅

ENHYDROSS: A New Mechanistic Model Supports the Trans-Oceanic Dispersal Capability of Terrestrial Vertebrates | Ecology and Evolution
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...