Interspecific hybridization explains rapid gorget color divergence in Heliodoxa hummingbirds (Aves: Trochilidae)

Hybridization is a known source of morphological, functional, and communicative signal novelty in many organisms. Although diverse mechanisms of established novel ornamentation have been identified in natural populations, we lack an understanding of hybridization effects across levels of biological scales and upon phylogenies. Hummingbirds display diverse structural colors resulting from coherent light scattering by feather nanostructures. Given the complex relationship between feather nanostructures and the colors they produce, intermediate coloration does not necessarily imply intermediate nanostructures. Here, we characterize nanostructural, ecological, and genetic inputs in a distinctive Heliodoxa hummingbird from the foothills of eastern Peru. Genetically, this individual is closely allied with Heliodoxa branickii and H. gularis, but it is not identical to either when nuclear data are assessed. Elevated interspecific heterozygosity further suggests it is a hybrid backcross to H. br..., ,