Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids
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jenteo.bsky.social
Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids
@jenteo.bsky.social
Assistant Professor at Wageningen University | Evolutionary Biology, Genomics and Ornithology | Blogging at Avian Hybrids
Pinned
My approach to academia.
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

A new subspecies of Manx Shearwater from the Canary Islands
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/06/16/a...

#ornithology
A new subspecies of Manx Shearwater from the Canary Islands
But how convincing is the supporting evidence?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 29, 2025 at 2:01 PM
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Testing the gradient speciation hypothesis in New Guinea Kingfishers
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/06/12/t...

#ornithology
Testing the gradient speciation hypothesis in New Guinea Kingfishers
And how common is this speciation model in birds?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 28, 2025 at 2:01 PM
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Rapid morphological evolution in the Silvereye: random processes or selection?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/06/09/r...

#ornithology
Rapid morphological evolution in the Silvereye: random processes or selection?
A clever combination of morphological and genomic analyses provide the answer.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 27, 2025 at 2:02 PM
A good column (or blog post) makes you think or reflect. It can be provocative or inspiring. This column ... well ... has zero content. Willy went to a course and enjoyed it. 🥱

Exciting mandatory course
www.resource-online.nl/index.php/20...
Column Willy Contreras-Avilés: Exciting mandatory course - Resource online
'I was rather dreading having to attend a week-long compulsory course.'
www.resource-online.nl
November 27, 2025 at 1:45 PM
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Unraveling the genetic basis of adaptive traits in the endangered Hihi
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/06/05/u...

#ornithology
Unraveling the genetic basis of adaptive traits in the endangered Hihi
Are these traits encoded by a few genes or many?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:02 PM
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog!

Hybridization can restructure gene co-expression networks
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/11/26/h...

Based on the Genetics study by Rogini Runghen and Daniel Bolnick
Hybridization can restructure gene co-expression networks
Simulations reveal that the effects of hybridization can linger for several generations.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:02 AM
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Bad news for the Brown Eared Pheasant?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/06/02/b...

#ornithology
Bad news for the Brown Eared Pheasant?
Genomic study finds low genetic diversity and high levels of inbreeding in this vulnerable species.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:04 PM
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Human activities facilitate hybridization in Allen’s Hummingbird
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/05/29/h...

#ornithology
Human activities facilitate hybridization in Allen’s Hummingbird
Genetic analyses uncover a hybrid population in southern California.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM
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A scoring scheme to assess the reliability of bird hybrids
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/05/26/a...

#ornithology
A scoring scheme to assess the reliability of bird hybrids
I explain this new scoring system and apply it to Tinamous.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids
🚨🦜🐧Cover reveal! Thrilled to show off the cover of my upcoming book: The Story of Birds!

Coming April 28. The whole history of birds, from their dinosaur origins to colossal extinct penguins & terror birds, to the 10,000+ species today. From @marinerbooks.bsky.social

Preorder 👇
November 21, 2025 at 1:51 PM
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A gene within a supergene: An estrogen receptor shapes the behavior of White-throated Sparrow morphs
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/05/22/a...

#ornithology
A gene within a supergene: An estrogen receptor shapes the behavior of White-throated Sparrow morphs
Expression levels of the estrogen receptor determine aggressive behavior in these songbirds.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:01 PM
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."

- Cicero
November 20, 2025 at 7:36 PM
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The phylogeographic story of a Manakin and a Bamboo Tyrant
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/05/19/t...

#ornithology
The phylogeographic story of a Manakin and a Bamboo Tyrant
Ecology explains the genetic differences in two Atlantic Forest species
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reading popular-science articles in my own field is always a mix of “yes, but…” and “well, that’s not quite true.” 🤔

It always triggers me to go back and read the original papers, providing plenty of inspiration for my own blog posts.
November 19, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Very cool paper in Nature! I will probably cover it on the Avian Hybrids blog in due time (even though it concerns mammals).

An ancient recombination desert is a speciation supergene in placental mammals
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
An ancient recombination desert is a speciation supergene in placental mammals - Nature
Deep learning methods identified a large and evolutionarily conserved X-linked low recombination region in placental mammals that serves as both a barrier to gene flow in hybridizing lineages and an a...
www.nature.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:27 PM
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How the Common Starling conquered Australia
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/05/15/h...

#ornithology
How the Common Starling conquered Australia
Genetic population structure is mainly shaped by distance effects.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:03 PM
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog!

Can hybridization explain the evolution of plumage patterns in black-and-white wagtails?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/11/19/c...

Based on the Systematic Biology paper by Loïc Rancilhac and his colleagues | #ornithology
Can hybridization explain the evolution of plumage patterns in black-and-white wagtails?
A reticulated phylogeny provides extra challenges to answer this question.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:22 AM
📢 Vacancy alert! Now open: PhD position on tropical forest succession and acoustic monitoring of seed dispersers. 🌱 🎶
www.wur.nl/nl/vacature/...

We are looking for a PhD candidate in the field of tropical ecology. Based at Wageningen University (NL) with fieldwork in tropical forests in Mexico.
PhD position on 'Seed dispersal shapes tropical forest succession' (Seeds 4 Success)
www.wur.nl
November 18, 2025 at 4:39 PM
✍️New blog post! A Call for Meaningful Work at a Slower Pace
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/a...

A reflection on the importance of slow productivity in an achievement society.
A Call for Meaningful Work at a Slower Pace
A reflection on the importance of slow productivity in an achievement society.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:49 PM
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The social network of hybrid quails
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/05/12/t...

#ornithology
The social network of hybrid quails
Recent study reveals a dynamic web of social interactions in a hybrid quail population.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:02 PM
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Why are some parrots more colorful than others?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/05/08/w...

#ornithology
Why are some parrots more colorful than others?
It turns out that size matters.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Starting the week with a "minor revision" decision! Stay tuned for another Avian Hybrids papers. Can you guess the topic? 😉
two ostriches are standing in a field with an animal planet logo in the corner
ALT: two ostriches are standing in a field with an animal planet logo in the corner
media.tenor.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Next book on the reading list. Exploring a history of ecological ideas. 🤓📚
November 16, 2025 at 11:21 AM
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Gene flow is an integral part of speciation in Beringian birds
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/05/05/g...

#ornithology
Gene flow is an integral part of speciation in Beringian birds
Eight bird lineages with a trans-Beringian distribution show clear signatures of past gene flow.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:01 PM
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Genetic patterns along the South American dry diagonal: The case of the Narrow-billed Woodcreeper
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/05/02/g...

#ornithology
Genetic patterns along the South American dry diagonal: The case of the Narrow-billed Woodcreeper
What environmental factors determine the genetic population structure of this species?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:03 PM