Ancient DNA Unravels the Origins of a Mysterious Lineage of Mergansers

A University of Otago-led study has revealed that mergansers, a type of fish-eating duck usually found in the Northern Hemisphere, arrived in New Zealand from the Northern Hemisphere at least seven million years ago, following a different migration path than previously assumed. This discovery, achieved through cutting-edge ancient DNA techniques, challenges existing theories about the origins of New Zealand’s bird species, suggesting more global connections than previously recognized.

“There is not even a deep-time fossil record of these birds in the Southern Hemisphere,” Associate Professor Rawlence says. An artistic reconstruction of the Auckland Island merganser. Credit: Artistic reconstruction by J. G. Keulemans from Bullers Birds of New Zealand “It shows an increasing number of New Zealand’s birds don’t hail from Australia, with more cosmopolitan links with Madagascar, Africa, South America, and now the Northern Hemisphere.

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