Don't tell the DEI police about this

 

This kookaburra might be konfused

Apparently, birds can be intersex (looking like one sex but actually having the sexual characteristics of the other sex) more often than thought.

This is based on research in Australia.

Sex Reversal Is More Common in Australian Birds Than Previously Thought

"In a study of nearly 500 birds from five species – including magpies, kookaburras, pigeons and lorikeets – researchers found that up to 6 percent had the physical features of one sex but the genetic makeup of the other.

The birds were examined post-mortem after being admitted to wildlife hospitals in southeast Queensland with unrelated injuries or illness. Researchers identified their reproductive organs and then tested their DNA to determine genetic sex. “One of the key findings was that 92 percent of sex-reversed birds were genetically female but had male reproductive organs,” Dr [Dominique] Potvin said."

Reference: Hall CA, Conroy G, Jelocnik M, et al. Prevalence and implications of sex reversal in free-living birds. Biol Lett. 2025. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2025.0182

(One cause might be endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment.)