15 votes

Rare half-male, half-female cardinal spotted in Pennsylvania

3 comments

  1. alyaza
    Link
    bird biology can get pretty wacky, of which this is just another example. what's interesting is that this probably isn't that uncommon relatively speaking, but unless you're in the right place and...

    bird biology can get pretty wacky, of which this is just another example. what's interesting is that this probably isn't that uncommon relatively speaking, but unless you're in the right place and also dealing with a species where sexual dimorphism is prominent you'd be hard pressed to notice something like this, so there are plenty of cases that no doubt fly under the radar.

    this bird might actually be able to reproduce normally, which is neat:

    Part of what makes this particular cardinal so exciting to Hooper is that it may be able to reproduce. “Most gynandromorph individuals are infertile, but this one may actually be fertile as the left side is female, and only the left ovary in birds in functional.”
    We may soon find out. Shirley Caldwell says the cardinal is always in the company of a male. “We’re happy it’s not lonely,” she says. Researchers in western Illinois observed another gynandromorph cardinal several years ago and reported that they never saw it in the company of another cardinal (nor did it—or the Caldwells’ cardinal— ever sing).

    7 votes
  2. Catt
    Link
    That is really neat. Thanks for sharing. I love that the article also mentions it's not lonely.

    That is really neat. Thanks for sharing.

    I love that the article also mentions it's not lonely.

    6 votes
  3. Bossman
    Link
    This is super interesting. Didn't realize that this is common in birds. I like that the researchers were happy that the bird wasn't lonely, too.

    This is super interesting. Didn't realize that this is common in birds. I like that the researchers were happy that the bird wasn't lonely, too.

    5 votes