The genomic landscape underlying phenotypic integrity in the face of gene flow in crows

Abstract

Crows of a feather flock together Closely related species with overlapping ranges typically evolve genetic barriers to prevent crossbreeding. Poelstra et al. sequenced genes from two species of central European crows: gray-bodied hooded crows and black carrion crows (see the Perspective by de Knijff). Although most of the genomes shared genes between the two species, one region that affected coat color and color vision differed. The authors suggest that black and gray-coated crows prefer to mate with birds like themselves. Science , this issue p. 1410 ; see also p. 1345