The bilaterally gynandromorphic Green Honeycreeper discovered close to Manizales in Colombia.
Photo: Supplied / John Murillo
The sighting of a particularly uncommon, half-male, half-female fowl, is being celebrated by an University of Otago zoologist.
Professor Hamish Spencer was on vacation in Colombia earlier within the yr when a wild Green Honeycreeper was identified to him.
It had distinct half-green and half-blue plumage, and was solely the second of the sort noticed in additional than a century.
Spencer mentioned the abnormality was brought on by double fertilisation of the egg.
Only two birds of the sort have been seen in additional than 100 years.
Photo: Supplied / John Murillo
“Cells which are dividing to type the feminine egg have not accomplished it correctly,” he mentioned.
“What occurs is definitely two cells get fertilised by the sperm, so there’s ‘double fertilisation’ we name it. So two separate sperm fertilised two completely different cells that turn into the 2 halves of the fowl.”
Spencer mentioned many birdwatchers may go their complete lives and never see a fowl with each female and male traits, generally known as gynandromorphs. His photographs have been “arguably one of the best of a wild bilateral gynandromorphic fowl of any species ever”, he mentioned.
“There’s fewer than 100 information throughout all species of birds ever, that we find out about, which were recorded,” he mentioned.
“I do not know of any examples from New Zealand in any respect.”
