Reference genomes generated for four Asian hornbill species

Researchers from the Nature Conservation Foundation (Mysore) and CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (Hyderabad) generated high-quality reference genome assemblies for four hornbill species: great hornbill, rufous-necked hornbill, Malabar-pied hornbill and wreathed hornbill, published in BMC Ecology and Evolution. The newly sequenced genomes were also used in a population genetics analysis indicating all four species underwent a dramatic population decline during the Pleistocene linked to climatic changes.