But a study from the University of Manitoba published in the Conservation Genetics journal says that some of the beautiful little birds are also carrying blue-winged warbler DNA. "So the fact we've started to find the blue-winged warbler DNA in Manitoba's population makes us concerned about it." Golden-winged warbler populations have been declining for decades, largely due to habitat loss. However, when its home starts to disappear, the bird begins to interbreed with the closely-related species, the blue-winged warbler. In places around the world, that's led to the golden bird disappearing while the blue-winged warbler population dominates.

Source: CBC News December 02, 2017 14:40 UTC