The double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. Once threatened by the use of DDT, the numbers of this bird have increased markedly in recent years [1]. Currently, the double-crested cormorants are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act [2].
Today, we share a chromosome-length upgrade to the draft genome assembly for the double-crested cormorant published in (Burga et al., Science, 2017). We are grateful to SeaWorld for the sample used for Hi-C library preparation!
Check out our usual whole-genome alignment analysis below to compare how the chromosomes of the new genome assembly for the double-crested cormorant compare to those of the chicken, from the International Chicken Genome Sequencing Consortium. Once again we see the conservative bird karyotype, for the first time in core waterbirds!
