Sydney, Aug. 13 -- An Australian study has revealed that sex reversal in wild birds is more common than previously thought, raising conservation concerns.
Researchers found up to six percent of nearly 500 birds from five species studied had the physical features of one sex but the genetic makeup of the other, according to a statement released Tuesday by Australia's University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC).
The research, involved five species including magpies, kookaburras, pigeons, and lorikeets, found that 92 percent of sex-reversed birds were genetically female but had male reproductive organs.
They also discovered a genetically male kookaburra who was reproductively active, producing eggs, said UniSC Associate Professor Dominique P...