cryptic Archives - British Ornithologists' Union

What they do in the shadows

By Ashleigh Marshall|2026-10-01T16:54:40+01:0024 Sep 2026|brood parasitism, cryptic, cuckoldry, extra pair paternity, habitat, infidelity, microhabitat, nest-site selection, paternity, reproduction|

Habitat characteristics influence cryptic reproductive behaviours in Blue-black Grassquits

The mixed-up world of swifts

By Alice Cibois|2022-07-13T11:39:17+01:0018 Jul 2022|avian biology, cryptic, diversity, DNA barcoding, flight, gene flow, genetic diversity, Genetics, hybridization, hybrids, IBIS, population dynamics, population structure, populations|

Two species of swifts hybridize with each other in an unsuspected way

Overlooked diversity in a European context

By Manuel Schweizer|2022-04-29T15:29:48+01:009 May 2022|cryptic, diversification, diversity, DNA sequencing, evolution, genetic diversity, Genetics, IBIS, Mediterranean forest, museum collections, phylogeny, population structure, Speciation, Taxonomy|

Genome-wide data uncovers two morphologically cryptic lineages in the Middle Spotted Woodpecker

Booming Bitterns

By Jente Ottenburghs (he/him)|2020-12-15T17:25:23+00:005 Sep 2019|bioacoustics, camouflage, Conservation, cryptic, monitoring, News, nocturnal birds, sound|

When is the best time to monitor bitterns?

Avian camouflage really does hinder predators

By Martin Stevens|2021-11-26T14:06:47+00:007 Mar 2016|adaptation, behaviour, Breeding, camouflage, cryptic, eggs, evolution, habitat|

Camouflage does protect nesting birds from being eaten