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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids

@jenteo.bsky.social
1.5K followers 657 following 1.1K posts

Assistant Professor at Wageningen University | Evolutionary Biology, Genomics and Ornithology | Blogging at Avian Hybrids

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 10h
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Rewriting the evolutionary history of the Pied Flycatcher avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/05/31/r... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Rewriting the evolutionary history of the Pied Flycatcher
More precise mutation rate provides detailed insights into past demographic changes.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 13h
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog! Similarity in courtship dances and vocalizations predict hybridization patterns in manakins avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/09/30/s... Based on the work of yours truly 😀 | #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Similarity in courtship dances and vocalizations predict hybridization patterns in manakins
But what about similarity in plumage patterns?
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Ghost introgression contributes to genetic differentiation in the White-breasted Nuthatch avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/05/28/g... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Ghost introgression contributes to genetic differentiation in the White-breasted Nuthatch
But alternative explanations remain to be ruled out.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Why do parrots forage in smaller groups on islands? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/05/24/w... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Why do parrots forage in smaller groups on islands?
A recent study points to reduced predation pressure.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
✍ New blog post! How to Have More Fun in Academia jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/09/28/h... A few lessons for enjoying academic life. (1) Find your fun-factor (2) Collaborate with nice people (3) Find joy in the small things (4) Don't take yourself too seriously
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com
How to Have More Fun in Academia
Four lessons for enjoying academic life
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Supervolcano eruptions shaped the genetic structure of the Brown Kiwi avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/05/21/s... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Supervolcano eruptions shaped the genetic structure of the Brown Kiwi
But we should not forget about ancient barriers and recent human impact.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Foraging behavior shapes eye morphology in aquatic birds avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/05/14/f... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Foraging behavior shapes eye morphology in aquatic birds
High plunge-divers and deep pursuit-divers have larger eyes.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Going for a relaxing walk around campus when two students stop me for a quick question: "What is the minimum size of a perching tree for Australian birds?" I gave the ecological answer: "It depends..." And I continued my walk.
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Reposted by Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids
Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Ibis' out for a walk with pizza.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! No universal support for the solar glare hypothesis in falcons avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/05/07/n... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
No universal support for the solar glare hypothesis in falcons
Two recent studies reach the same conclusion.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! A pangenomic perspective of the House Finch uncovers a large inversion avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/04/30/a... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
A pangenomic perspective of the House Finch uncovers a large inversion
New insights into the evolutionary role of structural variants.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog! Different genes, similar signal: The evolution of female preference in the Common Yellowthroat avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/09/23/d... Based on the PNAS paper by Nicholas Sly and his colleagues | #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Different genes, similar signal: The evolution of female preference in the Common Yellowthroat
Both black facial masks and yellow bibs are honest signals of male quality.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! How does climate affect the beak morphology of Thrashers? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/04/23/h... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
How does climate affect the beak morphology of Thrashers?
Short answer: it’s complicated.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"Don't be too impressed by claims of statistical significance. It's often not significant in any reasonably significant sense." - Julian Baggini (How to Think like a Philosopher)
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! An Andean hybrid zone between two tanagers: Secondary contact or parapatric speciation? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/04/16/a... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
An Andean hybrid zone between two tanagers: Secondary contact or parapatric speciation?
And what about the future of these two species?
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
✍️New blog post! Resist the Urge to Leave a Comment jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/09/21/r... Last week, one of my LinkedIn-posts drew a lot of attention, including several comments by people I don't know. This made me wonder: why can’t people resist the urge to share their opinion online?
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Genetic coupling of barrier loci in the Barn Swallow avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/04/02/g... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Genetic coupling of barrier loci in the Barn Swallow
Strong sexual selection culminates in reproductive isolation.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Past selection by extinct raptors might explain color polymorphism in the Kākāpō avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/04/09/p... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Past selection by extinct raptors might explain color polymorphism in the Kākāpō
Genetic analyses and simulations point to balancing selection.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Paraphyletic problems: The Azure Roller is nested within the Dollarbird avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/03/26/p... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Paraphyletic problems: The Azure Roller is nested within the Dollarbird
The species complex might hold many more species.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The body temperature of Tyrannosaurus rex | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... "Measurements of three T. rex teeth from the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation yield a temperature of 36.3 ± 2.5°C (1 SE), comparable to modern endotherms."
science.org
The body temperature of Tyrannosaurus rex
Despite an extensive history of study, quantitative constraints on the thermophysiology of Tyrannosaurus rex remain limited. Here, we derive a thermodynamically based determination of T. rex body temp...
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Hybridization between cryptic lineages within the Little Penguin avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/03/19/h... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Hybridization between cryptic lineages within the Little Penguin
Genetic analyses reveal gene flow between populations in Australia and New Zealand.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog! Genomic analyses uncover hidden diversity in the Middle Spotted Woodpecker avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/09/16/g... Based on the Ibis paper by Manuel Schweizer and his colleagues | #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Genomic analyses uncover hidden diversity in the Middle Spotted Woodpecker
A deep split between European and Asian populations.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Currently reading "Questioning the Millennium" by Stephen Jay Gould. Quite different from his essays on evolutionary biology, but still an interesting read.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Genomic confirmation of intergeneric hybrids between Birds-of-Paradise species avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/03/05/g... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Genomic confirmation of intergeneric hybrids between Birds-of-Paradise species
Why does reproductive isolation break down between these species?
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
✍ New blog post! Reading Helps Your Brain Connect the Dots jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/09/14/r... A short reflection on the importance of reading widely. Fill your brain with more dots and develop the experience to connect them.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Does the Splendid Fairywren comprise one or three species? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/02/26/d... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Does the Splendid Fairywren comprise one or three species?
A genetic study provides some taxonomic clarity.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! What drives the Fast-Z effect in shorebirds? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/02/19/w... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
What drives the Fast-Z effect in shorebirds?
What is the main mechanism: selection or drift?
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! The genomics of reproductive isolation in Baltimore and Bullock’s Oriole avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/02/12/t... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
The genomics of reproductive isolation in Baltimore and Bullock’s Oriole
But it there coupling of genetic loci for these isolation mechanisms?
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Hybrids as “hopeful monsters”: Transgressive gene expression in the Italian Sparrow avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/02/05/h... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Hybrids as “hopeful monsters”: Transgressive gene expression in the Italian Sparrow
But how do these patterns of gene expression impact phenotypic traits?
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The statistics course "Ecological Methods" is running again. Every year, I supply some memes related to the course content. Today we discussed model selection...
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Palaeognaths provide insights into the early stages of sex chromosome evolution avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/01/29/e... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Palaeognaths provide insights into the early stages of sex chromosome evolution
How did the different evolutionary strata arise?
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog! An evolutionary trade-off between plumage color and call complexity in parrots avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/09/09/a... Based on the Journal of Evolutionary Biology paper by Fabio Marcolin and his colleagues | #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
An evolutionary trade-off between plumage color and call complexity in parrots
Body size also strongly influences call structure.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
✍ New blog post! The Art of Being Ordinary in Academia jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/09/08/p... Some philosophical advice from the French philosopher Michel de Montaigne: (1) Stop trying to look smart, (2) Nobody will remember you, (3) Embrace the ordinary.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com
The Art of Being Ordinary in Academia
Some philosophical advice from Michel de Montaigne.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! The evolution of female ornamentation in White-shouldered Fairywrens avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/01/22/t... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
The evolution of female ornamentation in White-shouldered Fairywrens
A neutral byproduct or the outcome of adaptation?
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Flying founders: Linking migration and island colonization avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/01/15/f... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Flying founders: Linking migration and island colonization
Exploring the role of “migratory drop-offs”.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Does the ‘specialist-generalist variation hypothesis’ apply to woodpeckers? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/01/08/d... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Does the ‘specialist-generalist variation hypothesis’ apply to woodpeckers?
A genetic comparison of Middle and Great Spotted Woodpecker.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Convergent evolution of island melanism in the Chestnut-bellied Monarch avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/01/01/c... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Convergent evolution of island melanism in the Chestnut-bellied Monarch
With a brief explanation of Ancestral Recombination Graphs (ARGs).
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! The unique evolutionary history of the Azorean Common Quail avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/12/25/t... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
The unique evolutionary history of the Azorean Common Quail
New insights into the evolution of a previously described inversion.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Fruit resources explain the courtship dynamics at White-bearded Manakin leks avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/12/18/f... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Fruit resources explain the courtship dynamics at White-bearded Manakin leks
More fruit leads to more male displays which attracts more females.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog! How the Silver Oriole complicates the taxonomy of the Maroon Oriole avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/09/02/h... Based on the Heredity paper by Mario Ernst and his colleagues | #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
How the Silver Oriole complicates the taxonomy of the Maroon Oriole
This endangered species is embedded within the Maroon Oriole.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Does singing a different song speed up speciation? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/12/11/d... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Does singing a different song speed up speciation?
Numerous playback experiments might provide the answer.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Face to face with a woolly rhinoceros at the Natuurmuseum Brabant in Tilburg. 😃
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! The role of structural variants in shaping avian phenotypes avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/12/04/t... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
The role of structural variants in shaping avian phenotypes
Insights from several model species.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! How the decline of Kiwi populations impacts the efficacy of natural selection avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/11/27/h... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
How the decline of Kiwi populations impacts the efficacy of natural selection
Selection can still operate in small populations.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Why are there only three species of Emerald Doves? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/11/20/w... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Why are there only three species of Emerald Doves?
Their dispersal ability might play a role.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Some genomic surprises in the Variable Seedeater superspecies complex avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/11/13/s... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Some genomic surprises in the Variable Seedeater superspecies complex
Some intriguing patterns of gene flow in this bird group.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I just finished grading my 50th internship student! 🎓 And a nice coincidence. This student worked on Barnacle Geese. My own PhD research (more than 10 years ago...) focused on the evolution of these wonderful birds. 😅 Here’s to the next 50! 🪿
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Are we ready to use artificial intelligence in taxonomy? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2024/11/06/a... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Are we ready to use artificial intelligence in taxonomy?
A promising development that requires further research.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog! Parallel selection in the native and invasive range of the Common Starling avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/08/26/p... Based on the Molecular Ecology study of Katarina Stuart and her colleagues | #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Parallel selection in the native and invasive range of the Common Starling
Recent study highlights the importance of a historical baseline.
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
🚨New paper in Biology Letters! 🥳 Hybridization events in Squamata support the viviparity-driven conflict hypothesis royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article... Based on the MSc thesis of David Broek. Hybridization is also interesting in other taxonomic groups, not just birds. 😉
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