Scientists have mapped the genetic makeup of 363 bird species

The genetic makeup of 363 bird species, ranging from the humble chicken to the extraordinary bird of paradise, has been mapped for the first time by scientists.

The work, by researchers at the Smithsonian Institute and about 100 other institutions, involved the analysis of more than 17 trillion base pairs of DNA from bird species.

The researchers say 267 of the 363 bird species had their genomes sequenced for the first time as part of this study, expanding knowledge of the bird family tree.

Since the first bird evolved more than 150 million years ago, its descendants have adapted to a wide range of ecological niches, giving rise to tiny hanging hummingbirds, diving pelicans and showy birds of paradise.

Today, more than 10,000 bird species live on the planet and now scientists are well on their way to acquiring a complete genetic portrait of that diversity.

Since the first bird evolved more than 150 million years ago, its descendants have adapted to a wide range of ecological niches, giving rise to tiny hanging hummingbirds, diving pelicans and showy birds of paradise (pictured)

The genetic make-up of 363 bird species, ranging from the humble chicken (pictured) to the extraordinary bird of paradise, was first mapped by scientists

Researchers say 267 of the 363 bird species had their genomes sequenced for the first time as part of this study, expanding knowledge of the bird family tree.

Published in the journal Nature, the scientists sequenced the genomes of widespread and economically important birds such as chicken, as well as rare and lesser-known species such as the Henderson crane that lives on an island in the Pacific Ocean.

In total, the species sequenced by the team represent more than 92 percent of the world’s avian families, according to the study authors.

The study data will advance research on bird evolution and aid their conservation, as it is freely available to the scientific community.

The release of the new genomes is a milestone for the Bird 10,000 Genomes Project (B10K), an international collaboration of scientists.

The B10K project was organized by researchers from around the world and aims to sequence and share the genome of every avian species on the planet.

“B10K is probably the most important project ever conducted in the study of birds,” said Gary Graves, curator of birds at the National Museum of Natural History.

The researchers sampled the birds for 92% of all known poultry species as part of the study, including the golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetos.

A male Anna’s hummingbird, originally from Arizona, hovers in mid-air. This is just one of 363 bird species whose genome has been sequenced

“Not only are we hoping to learn about the phylogenetic relationships between the main branches of the bird tree of life, but we are providing an enormous amount of comparative data for studying vertebrate evolution and life itself.”

Comparing genomes between bird families will allow researchers to explore how traits have evolved in different birds and understand evolution at the molecular level.

Ultimately, the B10K researchers aim to build a complete “avian tree of life” that traces the genetic relationships between all modern birds.

Such knowledge will not only reveal the birds’ evolutionary past, but will also be vital in guiding conservation efforts in the future.

More than 150 ornithologists, molecular biologists and computer scientists came together to obtain samples and analyze more than 17 trillion DNA base pairs for the family-level phase of the B10K project.

The male of the Royal Flycatcher (Onychorhynchus coronatus), photographed during bird banding research in Costa Rica, opens its spectacular crest feathers in a display of threat. Birds of all shapes and sizes have been sequenced to help researchers understand their evolution

About 40% of the newly sequenced genomes were found from tissue samples preserved in the National Museum of Natural History’s avian genetic resource collection, started by Graves in 1986

Sequencing and analysis began in 2011, but the data represents several decades of work by field collectors and collection management staff who have collected and preserved birds from every continent, Graves said.

About 40% of the newly sequenced genomes were found from tissue samples preserved in the National Museum of Natural History’s avian genetic resource collection, started by Graves in 1986.

“It might seem like having a genome for every family or bird species is a bit like collecting stamps, but this huge cooperative effort has provided us with a number of very important genomic resources for conservation,” said researcher Rob Fleischer.

Fleischer, head of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Conservation Genomics, said it could help map population decline.

“Having the genomes makes it easier to find genes responsible for important survival traits such as resistance to introduced deadly diseases.”

Red winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus. In the next few years, the researchers hope to have sequenced all 10,000 known bird species

Comparing genomes between bird families will allow researchers to explore how traits have evolved in different birds and understand evolution at the molecular level

Sequencing and analysis began in 2011, but the data represents several decades of work by field collectors and collection management personnel who have collected and preserved birds from every continent, Graves said.

“Through 34 years of field work and dozens of expeditions, we have been able to obtain the high-quality DNA stash that actually makes this project possible,” said Graves.

“Many of these assets were stored long before DNA sequencing technology was developed, stored for future analysis that their collectors could not have imagined at the time.

“It is one of the many reasons why natural history museum collections and museum-based research programs are so important!”

With 363 complete genomes, B10K is expanding its efforts to understand the next level of avian classification.

At this stage, the team will sequence thousands of additional genomes, aiming to represent each of the approximately 2,300 bird genera.

The findings were published in the journal Nature.