A fascinating video of a half-male, half-female bird in Colombia has emerged, showing an incredibly unusual fact. The avian anomaly, a gynandromorph, has a visually stunning display of unique gender features on both sides of its body.
Due to its rarity in the wild, ornithologists and bird enthusiasts are captivated by this extraordinary discovery.
Jump to
- Who saw the strange bird?
- What is strange about this bird?
- Where is this bird?
Who saw the strange bird?
Credit: University of Otago
The bird was discovered by Hamish Spencer, a zoologist and professor at the University of Otago, while he was on holiday.
What is strange about this bird?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7ZZZZTiA6-Q
The bird was identified by its plumage that was half blue, or male, and half green, or female.
Credit: University of Otago
The bird, scientifically known as bilateral gynandromorphic, has male and female features on opposite sides of its body.
These birds have a phenotypic male appearance on one side of the body, with male reproductive organs and plumage, and a phenotypic female appearance on the other.
The unusual attribute is likely the result of a genetic abnormality that occurred when the bird’s cells differentiated into male and female traits early in its development.
Many birders may never find a bilateral gynandromorph in any bird. As far as I know, there have never been cases of this in New Zealand birds. I had the great honor of witnessing something so remarkable,” said Professor Spencer.
Where is this bird?
Credit: University of Otago
This bird was spotted as an unusual creature at a bird feeding stand on a small farm in a nature reserve near Manizales, Colombia.
Like other species, a bird can exhibit male or female characteristics on both sides, as exemplified by this particular case of bilateral gynandromorphy, in which a male is on one side and a female is on the other.
Spencer explained that this phenomenon arises from an error in the division of a female cell during the formation of an egg, which is subsequently fertilized by two sperm.
Credit: University of Otago
According to the researcher, gynandromorphs (animals of a species in which there are often two sexes) are crucial to understanding how birds determine their sex and behave sexually.
Hermaphroditism, in which a person has male and female reproductive organs at the same time, is not the same as gynandromorphism.
what do you think about it? Let us know in the comments.
For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn