Songbirds who make the arduous flight from their nesting sites in northern boreal forests to warm, southern climates in the winter may be rewarded for their journey with greater genetic diversity, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. The study was co-authored by researchers from the University of Lethbridge, among others, and led by the University of Michigan (UM).

Researchers found that songbird species that migrate from the boreal forests of the northern United States and Canada to the tropics to overwinter have more genetic diversity than species who stick closer to their northern breeding locations, either not migrating or migrating only short distances, for example, to the southern United States.

“We spent years collecting samples from different species across Canada that w…