It is a very curious bird. If the breasted thick-billed ( Pheucticus ludovicianus ) is already quite a particular bird in itself, since the females have some feathers in yellow and brown, but the males in pink and reddish colors , in Rector, Pennsylvania, a team of Researchers have spotted an even rarer specimen.
Full of color
This thick, pink-breasted bill that we see in the image has a pink spot on its chest and a pink “wing hole” and black feathers on its right wing, revealing shades of the males, as we have just discussed. But on its left side, the songbird has yellow and brown plumage, typical shades of females .
Researcher Annie Lindsay knew immediately what she was seeing: a half-male, half-female creature known as a gynandromorph , a feature commonly seen in entomology, usually in butterflies, but also in other species.
“It was spectacular. This bird has its non-breeding plumage, so in the spring, when it appears in its breeding plumage, it will be female, “says Lindsay. The bird’s colors will become even more vibrant and ” the line between the male and female side will be even more obvious . “
Very rare birds
Gynandromorphs are found in many species of birds, insects, and crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters. This bird is likely the result of an unusual event when two sperm fertilize an egg that has two nuclei instead of one. The egg can then develop male sex chromosomes on one side and female sex chromosomes on the other, ultimately leading to a bird with a testicle and other male characteristics on one half of its body and an ovary and other female qualities on the other. half.
Unlike hermaphrodites, gynandromorphs are fully male on one side of the body and female on the other.
Referencia: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Researchers at Powdermill Nature Reserve observe rare gynandromorph bird containing both male and female characteristics.
