Disparities in avian genomic resources highlight gaps across the Global South

Global South bird species have about fourfold lower odds of having a genome assembly than Global North species, even after accounting for conservation status and ecology.

• Why it matters: Genomic sampling is uneven across geography and the avian tree of life, limiting how well researchers can link genomic data to global bird diversity and diversification patterns.
• What they did: The study evaluated all available avian genome assemblies by geography, taxonomy, conservation status, and time, covering 1,712 species and 2,397 genera.
• The result: Only ~15% of recognized avian diversity has at least one assembly, 24 Global South families have none, and the post-2021 sequencing increase widened the Global South–North gap.

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