Kiwi genome provides insights into evolution of a nocturnal lifestyle

Kiwi, comprising five species from the genus Apteryx, are endangered, ground-dwelling bird species endemic to New Zealand. They are the smallest and only nocturnal representatives of the ratites. The timing of kiwi adaptation to a nocturnal niche and the genomic innovations, which shaped sensory systems and morphology to allow this adaptation, are not yet fully understood. We sequenced and assembled the brown kiwi genome to 150-fold coverage and...