Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids
@jenteo.bsky.social
Assistant Professor at Wageningen University | Evolutionary Biology, Genomics and Ornithology | Blogging at Avian Hybrids
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Why are there more bird species at lower elevations? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/07/03/w... #ornithology
Why are there more bird species at lower elevations?
Highland regions might act as a species pump for lower elevations.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog! Migratory behavior shapes population genetic structure in two Elaenia species avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/08/05/m... Based on the Journal of Avian Biology paper by Eliane de Freitas and her colleagues | #ornithology
Migratory behavior shapes population genetic structure in two Elaenia species
Assuming a similar evolutionary history.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! How did Ammospiza sparrows transition from freshwater to saline habitats? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/06/26/h... #ornithology
How did Ammospiza sparrows transition from freshwater to saline habitats?
Genomic analyses suggest a single colonization event.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Range expansion resulted in hybridization between Little Tern and Fairy Tern avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/06/19/r... #ornithology
Range expansion resulted in hybridization between Little Tern and Fairy Tern
Retracing observations of tern hybrids in Australia.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Understory lifestyle of the Sulawesi Babbler prevented gene flow between islands avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/06/12/u... #ornithology
Understory lifestyle of the Sulawesi Babbler prevented gene flow between islands
Multiple lines of evidence point to separately evolving lineages.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! How one genomic region can mess up the avian phylogeny avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/06/05/h... #ornithology
How one genomic region can mess up the avian phylogeny
But what process underlies the origin of this region?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Genetic analyses uncover a hybrid population between Brent Goose subspecies avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/05/29/g... #ornithology
Genetic analyses uncover a hybrid population between Brent Goose subspecies
A potential reservoir of genetic and behavioral diversity.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
I received a notification About a new citation With growing anticipation I checked the publication Only to come to the realization That it was a self-citation
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! The quantum evolution of bird beaks avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/05/22/t... #ornithology
The quantum evolution of bird beaks
Allometric conservatism is punctuated by occasional shifts in evolutionary change.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog! More genetic signatures of hybridization in the Bean Goose complex avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/07/29/m... Based on the Ecology and Evolution paper by Johanna Honka and her colleagues | #ornithology
More genetic signatures of hybridization in the Bean Goose complex
Finnish Taiga Bean Geese share DNA with Pink-footed Goose and Tundra Bean Goose.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
✍️New blog post! An Antidote to the Attention Economy: Building an Intellectual Life jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/07/28/a... A short post with a few practical suggestions for building an intellectual life in an age dominated by shallow content and endless distraction.
An Antidote to the Attention Economy: Building an Intellectual Life
Curate your social media feeds and read books.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! The genomic underpinnings of plunge-diving in kingfishers avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/05/15/t... #ornithology
The genomic underpinnings of plunge-diving in kingfishers
Brain-related genes might protect them against concussions.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! How does the frequency of extra-pair paternity in birds vary across the globe? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/05/08/h... #ornithology
How does the frequency of extra-pair paternity in birds vary across the globe?
Extra-pair paternity in offspring and broods decreases with latitude.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Warblers might attain yellow plumage color with a little help from their bacterial friends avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/05/01/w... #ornithology
Warblers might attain yellow plumage color with a little help from their bacterial friends
Gut microbiome analyses uncover a surprising correlation.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Hybrid hoax: A fake cross between Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/04/24/h... #ornithology
Hybrid hoax: A fake cross between Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture
But who forged this hybrid vulture?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Resolving the phylogenetic tree of tinamous avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/04/17/r... #ornithology
Resolving the phylogenetic tree of tinamous
A recent study combined molecular and morphological data.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
✍ New blog post! All Popular Science Articles Are Wrong, But Some Are Useful jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/07/22/a... These pieces can spark your curiosity and point you in the right direction. But genuine understanding requires time, effort, and more reading.
All Popular Science Articles Are Wrong, But Some Are Useful
These articles should be seen as a starting point for further reading.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Ghost introgression of a supergene in the Ruff? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/04/10/g... #ornithology
Ghost introgression of a supergene in the Ruff?
Unexpectedly low mutational load in an inversion.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog! Morphological convergence of two Darwin’s finches on Darwin Island avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/07/22/m... Based on the Evolutionary Journal of the Linnean Society paper by Peter and Rosemary Grant | #ornithology
Morphological convergence of two Darwin’s finches on Darwin Island
Will one species absorb the other, or will a hybrid species emerge?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Nest design and migration influence conformity to Bergmann’s Rule avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/04/03/n... #ornithology
Nest design and migration influence conformity to Bergmann’s Rule
Behavior can impact biogeographical patterns.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Great write-up by @pgreenfielduk.bsky.social on our paper in @natecoevo.nature.com www.theguardian.com/environment/... on the impact of generative AI on biological recording #Ornithology #UKBirding 🪶🌍 1/2
AI-altered images on birdwatching forums putting research at risk
Experts warn increase in enhanced photos on birding platforms creating fake sightings, threatening credibility of tool used by scientists
theguardian.com
Alexander Lees@alexanderlees.bsky.social · 3w agoOur new commentary rdcu.be/ftx6h in @natecoevo.nature.com written with folks from @inaturalist.bsky.social and @cornellbirds.bsky.social shows that use of AI to manipulate existing or create new wildlife images undermines the huge value of vast citizen science databases. 🌍🪰🪶 #Ornithology 🧵 1/10
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Unraveling the evolutionary history of the Striped Woodcreeper: ecological gradients or past climatic changes? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/03/27/u... #ornithology
Unraveling the evolutionary history of the Striped Woodcreeper: ecological gradients or past climatic changes?
A recent study tested several hypotheses with genetic data.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! The origin of a hybrid Puffin population avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/03/20/t... #ornithology
The origin of a hybrid Puffin population
Genomic analyses suggest recent climate change as a driving factor.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! A selective trade-off between mimicry and hybridization in woodpeckers avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/03/13/a... #ornithology
A selective trade-off between mimicry and hybridization in woodpeckers
The story behind our recent paper.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Why don’t birds have antlers? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/03/06/w... #ornithology
Why don’t birds have antlers?
Powered flight might constrain the evolution of weapons.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Look into my eyes: Unraveling the genetic basis of iris color in domestic pigeons avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/02/28/l... #ornithology
Look into my eyes: Unraveling the genetic basis of iris color in domestic pigeons
A nonsense mutation in one gene underlies the “pearl” phenotype.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Beyond the Achievement Society: The Joy of Doing Things for Their Own Sake jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/07/15/r... A short blog post inspired by an interview with philosopher Zena Hitz who argues we should let go of our constant pursuit of status and instead cultivate a rich inner life.
Beyond the Achievement Society: The Joy of Doing Things for Their Own Sake
A reflection on cultivating a rich inner life.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog! Isolation-by-Distance or Isolation-by-Environment in the Horned Lark? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/07/15/i... Based on the Molecular Ecology study by Subir Shakya and his colleagues | #ornithology
Isolation-by-Distance or Isolation-by-Environment in the Horned Lark?
The answer depends on the genomic region.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! The evolution of complex behaviors in cranes avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/02/21/t... #ornithology
The evolution of complex behaviors in cranes
The common ancestor of cranes already had an impressive behavioral repertoire.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Are the intermediate migration routes of hybrids ecologically inferior? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/02/14/a... #ornithology
Are the intermediate migration routes of hybrids ecologically inferior?
Ecological niche modelling provides support for a common assumption.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com