An extremely rare Green Honeycreeper has been spotted by Professor Hamish Spencer of Otago University.
Image by: University of Otago
Hamish Spencer with ornithologist John Murillo discovered this unique creature while holidaying in Columbia.
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Many birdwatchers could spend their whole lives but won't be able to see a single bilateral gynandromorph in their whole life.
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Gynandromorphs are creatures that display characteristics of both genders- male and female in a single body.
Image by: University of Otago
This phenomena occurs due to double fertilization by two sperm in a single female egg resulting into a genetic anomaly.
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Due to this body start showing half-male and half-female traits which can happen naturally or be induced by genetic mutations during embryonic development.
Image by: University of Otago
Usually, this phenomenon is observed mostly in butterflies but also have been found in insects, lobsters, spiders, and rodents.
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But having to find Gynandromorphism in birds is the rarest of the rare events observed by the New Zealand professor.
Image by: University of Otago
This wild Green Honeycreeper has half blue plumage indicating male and half green plumage indicating female.
According to the Professor this is the 2nd recorded evidence found about gynandromorphism in birds in 100 years.
Image by: University of Otago