Your sex characteristics were determined by X and Y chromosomes, same as most other creatures from humans to fruit flies. So why do birds and butterflies have ZW chromosomes instead? And more ...

Birds have an opposite type of sex chromosomes to that of mammals. That is, females have one Z chromosome and one female-specific W chromosome, while males have two Z chromosomes.

Birds with the longest chromosome caps live the longest The best evidence yet that telomere length correlates with life span: zebra finches with longer telomeres live longer.

CREDIT: Edward Braun The team also found evidence that this spot on the bird chromosome has suppressed the recombination process since around the time the dinosaurs disappeared.

Birds have some of the most amazing sex differences of any animal. They can control the sex of offspring, and even produce rare half-male, half-females. And their sex genes and chromosomes are ...

The long and short of a bird’s life may be recorded in the tips of its chromosomes, a new study suggests. WARBLER LONGEVITY A study of Seychelles warblers (shown) suggests the length of ...

Elaina Tuttle spent her life trying to understand the bizarre chromosome evolution of a common bird — until tragedy struck.

The chromosomes of finches born from older fathers have traits associated with a shorter life expectancy than the finches conceived by younger dads, revealed a new study published online in the ...

Birds can control the sex of their chicks We would expect that, during meiosis, random separation of Z and W should result in half the chicks being male and half female, but birds are tricky. Somehow ...

Researchers have discovered the largest known avian sex chromosome. The giant chromosome was created when four chromosomes fused together into one, and has been found in two species of lark.

Female birds carry both avian sex chromosomes (ZW) while males carry two copies of the same chromosome (ZZ) — the opposite pattern is seen in mammals, with females carrying XX and males carrying XY.

The scientists hypothesize that high TE activity on sex chromosomes could potentially have fitness consequences in female birds.