Research
How did barn owls reach the Americas? DNA offers an unexpected answer
Earth.com · By Eric Ralls ·
The Brief
- The common assumption was that barn owls reached the Americas overland from Asia and then spread to offshore islands.
- DNA evidence suggests the owls reached the Caribbean by a different route than the one long assumed.
Why it matters
Genetic data can overturn long-held assumptions about how species colonised new continents, which matters for reconstructing animal population histories.
Who’s affected
- biologists and researchers studying animal migration and population history
- #barn owls
- #biogeography
- #genomics
- #caribbean
- #population history
A barn owl hunting over a Pennsylvania hayfield looks like it has always belonged there. The common assumption was that barn owls arrived the way so many animals did, overland from Asia, then spread out to the islands offshore. The DNA suggests the owls reached the Caribbean…