Biologists in Texas say they’ve discovered a new bird that they believe is a hybrid of two existing species. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have named the new bird a “grue jay.”
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According to a press release, they believe the bird is one of the first known examples of a hybrid between a blue jay and a green jay.
“We think it’s the first observed vertebrate that’s hybridized as a result of two species both expanding their ranges due, at least in part, to climate change,” said Brian Stokes, a graduate student in ecology, evolution, and behavior at UT and the first author of the study.
The ranges of the blue jay and green jay had never overlapped until recent years. Scientists say climate change has driven more animals into new areas, including Texas. With both birds now found in the same region, they were able to interbreed and produce the grue jay.
Green jays typically live across Central America, and historically, their range only extended to the edges of South Texas. Blue jays, a more common bird in the U.S., once had a range that ended near Houston. Shifting weather patterns have now created areas where the two species overlap.
Discovering the Grue Jay
The grue jay was discovered in San Antonio.
Stokes says that, as a Ph.D. candidate studying green jays in Texas. That’s where he regularly monitored birding sites on social media to locate birds for genetic research. From there, he would trap the birds, take blood samples, and release them unharmed. After spotting a photo of an unusual blue bird near San Antonio, he visited the home. Two days later, he managed to capture the bird and collect a sample, leading to the discovery of the grue jay.
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