Invited reply: Rates of avian sex reversal: a response to Balogh et al

Dominique A. Potvin; Gabriel G. Conroy; Martina Jelocnik; Vasilli Kasimov; Amber Gillett; Tim Portas; Andrew Hill; Clancy A. Hall

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2025.0741

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Invited reply: Rates of avian sex reversal: a response to Balogh et al

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Invited reply: Rates of avian sex reversal: a response to Balogh et al

Dominique A. Potvin, Gabriel G. Conroy, Martina Jelocnik, Vasilli Kasimov, Amber Gillett, Tim Portas, Andrew Hill and Clancy A. Hall

Biology Letters, Vol.22(3), pp.1-3

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2025.0741

PMID: 41818800

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Is comment on

Prevalence and implications of sex reversal in free-living birds

Abstract

sex chromosomes

sex reversal

ornithology

We thank Balogh et al. for their comments on our recent article on sex reversal in free-living birds. Rigorous scrutiny is essential when reporting phenomena that challenge established assumptions, and we welcome the opportunity to clarify our approach and interpretation. They rightly highlight the critical importance of rigorous methodology when identifying rare phenomena like sex reversal, where the potential for misclassification must be carefully considered. The alternative explanations they propose, such as genotyping errors, sample contamination or ambiguous gonad morphology, are indeed possible sources of discordance in any study of this nature. The central question, however, is not whether these errors can occur, but whether they provide the most plausible explanation for the consistent pattern of discordances we observed across multiple species. While independent validation of discordant individuals would strengthen inference, the scope and resources of the present study limited additional analyses. We therefore interpret our findings as preliminary evidence warranting targeted follow-up rather than definitive confirmation of sex reversal in individual cases.

Details

Title: Invited reply: Rates of avian sex reversal: a response to Balogh et al
Authors: Dominique A. Potvin (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Gabriel G. Conroy - University of the Sunshine Coast
Martina Jelocnik - University of the Sunshine Coast
Vasilli Kasimov - Griffith University
Amber Gillett - Australia Zoo
Tim Portas - RSPCA Queensland (Australia)
Andrew Hill - Currumbin Wildlife Hospital
Clancy A. Hall - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Biology Letters, Vol.22(3), pp.1-3
Publisher: The Royal Society Publishing
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2025.0741
ISSN: 1744-957X
PMID: 41818800
Copyright note: © 2026 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.
Data Availability: This article has no additional data.
Organisation Unit: K'gari Research Cluster; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991217547502621
Output Type: Journal article

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