A DNA map for Australia's brolgas: knowing which birds are kin is how you keep them flying

New genetic research on brolgas — the tall, dancing cranes of eastern Australia — has found a clear divide between northern and southern populations, with southern birds facing greater risks to their genetic diversity. The Macquarie University-led study, published in Conservation Genetics, shows the birds return to the same wetlands year after year to breed. Protecting and reconnecting those wetlands, the researchers say, is what will preserve the variety the species needs to adapt.