María Recuerda, Leonardo Campagna

Despite receiving significant recent attention, the relevance of Structural Variation (SV) in driving phenotypic diversity remains understudied. Advances in long-read sequencing, bioinformatics and pangenomic approaches, enhance SV detection. We review the role of SVs in shaping phenotypes in avian model systems, and identify general patterns in SV type, length, and their associated traits. Notably, most of the identified SVs are short indels in chickens, frequently associated with changes in body weight and plumage coloration. This review highlights how SVs underlie phenotypes in avian model systems and sets expectations for when long-read technologies become commonly implemented in non-model birds. The growing interest in this subject suggests an increase in our understanding of the phenotypic effects of SVs in upcoming years.