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Cuckoo finch egg mimicry linked to sex chromosome trade-offs

Original: The cuckoo finch, an African brood parasite, copes with highly specific patterning on the eggs of its target species wit

Researchers are discussing how the cuckoo finch, an African brood parasite that lays its eggs in other birds' nests, manages to match the highly specific patterning of its hosts' eggs. The explanation lies in specialization on the female sex chromosome, but maintaining those genetic adaptations apparently comes at a cost of damage to other parts of the chromosome.

Why now: New findings about the genetic trade-offs behind the cuckoo finch's remarkable egg mimicry are being shared and discussed.

cuckoo finchAfrica

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Evidence

• The cuckoo finch, an African brood parasite, copes with highly specific patterning on the eggs of its target species with specialization of the female sex chromosome. But preserving those genetic changes evidently means accepting damage to other parts of the chromosome, as… · rdnielsen@floss.social · 3

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