Hybrid Zone of the Baltimore and Bullock’s Orioles – Evolution in Action

The orioles in particular have a long and fascinating history of research dating back to the 1950s, and through this long history of research, we have been able to understand how patterns of hybridization have changed over time. Using an integrative approach that combines morphology, genomics, and climate change research, we have explored the oriole hybrid zone to understand how and why these species hybridize, and what it can tell us about biodiversity and the evolution of species.

Shawn Billerman works at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where he is a science editor with Birds of the World, an online resource and the world’s largest, most comprehensive, scholarly resource for birds that is filled with more than 11,000 species accounts and 250 family accounts. With Birds of the World, he works with authors and contributors from around the world so they can share their passion about the species that they study and update species accounts. He also works with the Clements Checklist team to help maintain taxonomy, where he has a special interest in bird families.

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