A recent study used the natural admixture in a hybrid zone to study the traits based on carotenoids. Carotenoids, along with melanin pigments, determine the coloration of birds. SNPs were identified for five plumage traits which are located in regions which are enriched for keratin filaments (the fibrils which make up feathers). The carotentoid-based trait which is associated with throat color has more than a dozen regions of association in the genome. The gene SCARF2 was identified as a candidate for carotenoid processing. Additionally, two melanin-based traits, coloration of eye line and eye-spot, were found to map to a single genomic region.
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