The First Highly Contiguous Genome Assembly for the Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana)
Carlos W Esperanza, Haley K Gee, Renée A Duckworth, Andrea D Schreier, Qi Zhou · 2026
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Description
Carlos Esperanza and co-authors publish the first full genome map for the western bluebird in a 2026 paper. The bird, a cavity-nesting thrush, has declined in parts of its range despite help from nest box programs. No reference genome existed for its whole genus, which limited studies of its diversity and decline.
The team read the DNA of an adult female with long-read methods and built a near-complete map. The assembly spans the full genome in long unbroken stretches and holds close to seventeen thousand protein-coding genes. A small round genome from the cell's power units was also completed. The authors offer the map as a base for work on population links, history, and adaptation in bluebirds and kin.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Carlos W Esperanza, Haley K Gee, Renée A Duckworth, Andrea D Schreier, Qi Zhou |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 19 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |