Data from: Prevalence and implications of sex reversal in free-living birds

Dominique Potvin; Clancy Hall; Gabriel Conroy; Martina Jelocnik; Vasilli Kasimov; Amber Gillet; Timothy Portas; Andrew Hill

doi:10.5061/dryad.9w0vt4bs0

Dataset

Data from: Prevalence and implications of sex reversal in free-living birds

Dominique Potvin, Clancy Hall, Gabriel Conroy, Martina Jelocnik, Vasilli Kasimov, Amber Gillet, Timothy Portas and Andrew Hill

Dryad, Vol.3 September 2025

Dryad

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9w0vt4bs0

Files and links (1)

url

http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9w0vt4bs0View

Data Open

Related material

Is data of

Prevalence and implications of sex reversal in free-living birds

Abstract

Birds

FOS: Biological sciences

sex discordance

Sex ratio

The ability to unequivocally identify the sex and reproductive status of individuals is crucial across many fields of study. Recent evidence indicates that avian sex determination is more flexible than once believed, with sex-reversed individuals identified in domestic bird populations—that is, individuals exhibiting gonadal and morphological traits of one sex while possessing the chromosomal makeup of the opposite sex. The presence of these individuals can challenge the reliability of traditional sexing methods that rely solely on external morphology, internal anatomy, or genetic markers. These methods, when used in isolation, fail to identify sex-reversed or intersex individuals, potentially overlooking their impact on population dynamics. In this pioneering study, we investigated the prevalence of sex-reversed individuals in five common free-living avian species in Queensland, Australia. By comparing internal and external morphological characteristics with PCR results from sex-linked molecular markers, we identified sex-reversed individuals in all five species, with rates ranging from 3% to 6%. Our findings suggest that sex reversal is a common and potentially widespread phenomenon in avian species.

Details

Title: Data from: Prevalence and implications of sex reversal in free-living birds
Authors: Dominique Potvin (Data Collector) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Clancy Hall (Data Collector) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
Gabriel Conroy (Data Collector) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Martina Jelocnik (Data Collector) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Vasilli Kasimov (Data Collector) - Griffith University
Amber Gillet (Data Collector) - Australia Zoo
Timothy Portas (Data Collector) - RSPCA Queensland (Australia)
Andrew Hill (Data Collector) - Currumbin Wildlife Hospital
Publication details: Dryad, Vol.3 September 2025
Format: MS Excel; PDF; image files; Total 4.54 GB
Publisher: Dryad
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.5061/dryad.9w0vt4bs0
Organisation Unit: Academic Support Unit; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991157970302621
Output Type: Dataset

Metrics

60 Record Views