Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids
LightNews LightNews
banner
jenteo.bsky.social
Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids
@jenteo.bsky.social
1.4K followers 610 following 670 posts
Assistant Professor at Wageningen University | Evolutionary Biology, Genomics and Ornithology | Blogging at Avian Hybrids
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
jenteo.bsky.social
Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · Dec 9
My approach to academia.
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

Protecting the White-tailed Tropicbird
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/08/28/p...

#ornithology
Protecting the White-tailed Tropicbird
Do conservation units correspond to the six recognized subspecies?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 24, 2025 at 2:02 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Time for my yearly overview of the best books I read in 2025. 😃📚

- The Genetic Book of the Dead (Richard Dawkins)
- Behave (Robert Sapolsky)
- Birds, Sex & Beauty (Matt Ridley)
- Lord of the Flies (Aimée de Jongh)

Complete overview on Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/year_in...
December 24, 2025 at 1:08 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Next book on the reading list "The Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin.

I have explored several chapters (especially the one on Hybridism), but I never read this classic cover to cover. Time to change that! 😀📚
December 24, 2025 at 11:11 AM
jenteo.bsky.social
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog!

Do plumage patterns predict hybridization between subspecies of the Variable Seedeater?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/12/24/d...

Based on the Molecular Ecology paper by Diego Ocampo and his colleagues | #ornithology
Do plumage patterns predict hybridization between subspecies of the Variable Seedeater?
Comparing contact zones leads to a surprising conclusion.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 24, 2025 at 10:48 AM
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

Female preference for red plumage drives hybridization in tinkerbirds
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/08/25/f...

#ornithology
Female preference for red plumage drives hybridization in tinkerbirds
does this red plumage also honestly signal male quality?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 23, 2025 at 2:03 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

Hybrid pairing between a Cerulean Warbler and a Black-throated Blue Warbler
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/08/21/h...

#ornithology
Hybrid pairing between a Cerulean Warbler and a Black-throated Blue Warbler
Detailed nest observations confirm the first case of this hybrid combination.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:01 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

Ghost populations explain how the Red-billed Chough reached the Canary Islands
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/08/18/g...

#ornithology
Ghost populations explain how the Red-billed Chough reached the Canary Islands
Genetic analyses point to a ghost population on the African coast.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 20, 2025 at 2:01 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

Postzygotic isolation drives speciation in Warbling-antbirds
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/08/14/p...

#ornithology
Postzygotic isolation drives speciation in Warbling-antbirds
Several lines of evidence indicate strong selection against hybrids.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:02 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

How often do Barrow’s Goldeneye and Common Goldeneye hybridize?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/08/11/h...

#ornithology
How often do Barrow’s Goldeneye and Common Goldeneye hybridize?
A genetic study detected only one hybrid individual.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 18, 2025 at 2:03 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
✍️New blog post! Evolution Has No Plan: Why Organisms Don’t Rewrite Their DNA
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2025/12/18/e...

The news articles on polar bears that are “rewriting their DNA in response to climate change” triggered me to write this blog post. Evolution has no foresight.
Evolution Has No Plan: Why Organisms Don’t Rewrite Their DNA
A quick explanation of some common misunderstandings about evolution.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com
December 18, 2025 at 12:46 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

Why do male and female birds look different? A role for alternative splicing
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/08/07/w...

#ornithology
Why do male and female birds look different? A role for alternative splicing
Genomic analyses test whether alternative splicing contributes to sexual dimorphism.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 17, 2025 at 2:02 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Several popular science websites reported that polar bears are "rewriting their DNA" in response to climate change. However, not one journalist took the time to critically evaluate the original study. I am not convinced. You can find my critique here.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/12/17/a...
Are polar bears “re-writing their DNA” in response to climate change?
More work is needed to confirm these speculations.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 17, 2025 at 12:56 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog!

Are polar bears “re-writing their DNA” in response to climate change?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/12/17/a...

No #ornithology, but a critical perspective on a recent claim that some polar bears are "changing their DNA" due to rising temperatures.
Are polar bears “re-writing their DNA” in response to climate change?
More work is needed to confirm these speculations.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 17, 2025 at 8:28 AM
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

Adaptive potential of the endangered Antioquia wren
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/08/04/a...

#ornithology
Adaptive potential of the endangered Antioquia wren
Reduced genetic diversity in neutral and functional markers raises a red flag.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 16, 2025 at 2:02 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
I have seen this claim popping up at several news outlets. When headlines report dramatic findings, the most reliable approach is to check the original scientific paper. I am not convinced by their "evidence". 🤔

Stay tuned for a blog post later this week. 😉
December 15, 2025 at 3:36 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

How strong is reproductive isolation between Golden-winged and Blue-winged warbler?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/07/31/h...

#ornithology
How strong is reproductive isolation between Golden-winged and Blue-winged warbler?
A summary of a recent debate in the journal Ecology and Evolution.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 15, 2025 at 2:00 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

Across Asia and beyond: The evolutionary story of the Common Pheasant
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/07/28/a...

#ornithology
Across Asia and beyond: The evolutionary story of the Common Pheasant
Genetic study reconstructs the Asian diversification of the Common Pheasant.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 13, 2025 at 2:01 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

Genetic evidence for hybridization between Magellanic and Humboldt penguins
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/07/24/g...

#ornithology
Genetic evidence for hybridization between Magellanic and Humboldt penguins
Several genetic markers are useful to identify hybrids and backcrosses.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 12, 2025 at 2:02 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
✍️New blog post! The Paradox of Slow Productivity: Working Less, Achieving More
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2025/12/12/t...

How slow productivity made 2025 my most productive year.
The Paradox of Slow Productivity: Working Less, Achieving More
How slow productivity made 2025 my most productive year.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com
December 12, 2025 at 1:13 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

The Pleistocene Arc Hypothesis explains the evolution of the Rufous-fronted Thornbird
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/07/21/t...

#ornithology
The Pleistocene Arc Hypothesis explains the evolution of the Rufous-fronted Thornbird
Genetic patterns in this species follow the distribution of dry forests around Amazonia.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 11, 2025 at 2:02 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

The Herring Gull complex is not a ring species
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/07/17/t...

#ornithology
The Herring Gull complex is not a ring species
The evolution of this species complex does not follow the strict definition of a ring species.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:03 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
🥳 New paper in Emu - Austral Ornithology!
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

In this study, I review the available evidence for hybridization in ratites. Most cases are linked to human activities, suggesting that natural hybridization among ratites is exceptionally rare.

#ornithology
December 10, 2025 at 9:08 AM
jenteo.bsky.social
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog!

Water off a manakin’s back: How sexual and natural selection shape plumage coloration in manakins
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/12/10/w...

Based on the Science Advances paper by Haw Chuan Lim et al. | #ornithology
Water off a manakin’s back: How sexual and natural selection shape plumage coloration in manakins
Plumage coloration mechanisms shed light on introgression patterns.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:20 AM
jenteo.bsky.social
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!

Studying the global conquest of the Common Starling with haplotype networks
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/07/14/s...

#ornithology
Studying the global conquest of the Common Starling with haplotype networks
Recent study compares the genetic diversity of three independent invasions.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:02 PM
jenteo.bsky.social
Next book on the reading list: "Song of the North Wind" by Paul A. Johnsgard. A little book about snow geese. 📚😀

#ornithology
December 8, 2025 at 6:53 PM