This cardinal bird is a genetic chimera, meaning it has two sets of DNA. You can see from it’s striking plumage that the right side of the bird is male, and bright red, while the left side is female, and a muted taupe. This incredibly rare phenomenon has occurred because the mother’s egg cell contained two nuclei, which was ‘double fertilized’. One fertilized nuclei was genetically female, the other genetically male, and they then fused together to make this remarkable bird, known as a ‘half-sider to bird’ enthusiasts. Often these chimeras are infertile, but the hope is that this particular bird will be fertile, as only the left ovary in birds is functional.
Source: Science Alert
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