# Assembly and annotation of 2 high-quality columbid reference genomes from sequencing of a Columba livia × Columba guinea F1 hybrid

## TL;DR

This paper presents high-quality genomes for two dove species, improving resources for studying their genetics and evolution.

## Contribution

The study provides new, high-quality genome assemblies for Columba livia and Columba guinea using hybrid sequencing.

## Key findings

- The C. livia genome assembly Cliv_3 is more complete and accurate than previous versions.
- The C. guinea genome is the first for this species and enhances avian comparative genomics.
- The assemblies improve tools for studying genomic traits in C. livia and related species.

## Abstract

Pigeons and doves (family Columbidae) are one of the most diverse extant avian lineages, and many species have served as key models for evolutionary genomics, developmental biology, physiology, and behavioral studies. Building genomic resources for columbids is essential to further many of these studies. Here, we present high-quality genome assemblies and annotations for 2 columbid species, Columba livia and Columba guinea. We simultaneously assembled C. livia and C. guinea genomes from long-read sequencing of a single F1 hybrid individual. The new C. livia genome assembly (Cliv_3) shows improved completeness and contiguity relative to Cliv_2.1, with an annotation incorporating long-read IsoSeq data for more accurate gene models. Intensive selective breeding of C. livia has given rise to hundreds of breeds with diverse morphological and behavioral characteristics, and Cliv_3 offers improved tools for mapping the genomic architecture of interesting traits. The C. guinea genome assembly is the first for this species and is a new resource for avian comparative genomics. Together, these assemblies and annotations provide improved resources for functional studies of columbids and avian comparative genomics in general.