TEXAS, USA — Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered what may be the first vertebrate hybrid created by climate change, after two bird species expanded their ranges and met in the wild near San Antonio. The rare offspring of a blue jay and green jay represents a unique case where shifting weather patterns brought together species separated by 7 million years of evolution.
The hybrid bird was spotted by a backyard birder northeast of San Antonio and later captured by Brian Stokes, a graduate student in ecology, evolution and behavior at UT Austin. Genetic analysis confirmed the male bird resulted from mating between a green jay mother and a blue jay father.
“We think it’s the first observed vertebrate that’s hybridized as a result of two species both expanding their ranges due, at least in part, to climate change,” said Stokes, first author of the study published in Ecology and Evolution…