[Perspective] Avian supergenes

As the extravagant displays of birds of paradise remind us, many birds go to great lengths to pass their genes on to the next generation. Recent papers explore the genetic basis of the reproductive strategies in two bird species: the ruff (Philomachus pugnax) (1, 2) and the white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) (3). In each species, striking variation in both plumage and behavior is controlled in concert via the inheritance of coadapted gene complexes (supergenes) in large chromosomal