Geoffrey Hill, an Auburn University professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, discovered the answer to why some birds have red coloration in their feathers.
Hill collaborated with a team of scientists around the world to research the red color gene with their main focus on canaries.
Hill and his team researched a special breed of canary called the ‘Red Factor’ Canary which was created by breeding a normal yellow canary with a red finch, known as the Red Siskin, and then their offspring is backcrossed with a canary.
With further research on the offspring they discovered the CYP2J19 enzyme as a catalyst that mediates the red coloration of the bird.
“Miguel Carneiro had isolated islands of genes that had been introgressed from Red Siskins to Red Factor canaries, and they were open to collaboration on interpreting their genetic discovery,” Hill said. “That’s when Jim Johnson and I came in on the canary study.”
The same pigment, carotenoids, that is the basis for the red coloration also helps humans out with their vision and can be found in many vitamins known to the public.
The discovery took a decade to complete and was funded by Auburn University and the National Science Foundation. The team is currently patenting the research involving the red carotenoids.
“Understanding the genetic basis of red coloration is a huge step forward towards understanding how and why red coloration evolved in numerous bird species,” Hill said. “I believe we are at the edge of [a] revolution of understanding the natural world.”
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