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The Sichuan partridge (Arborophila rufipectus, Phasianidae, Galliformes) is distributed in south-west China, and classified as endangered grade. To examine the evolution and genomic features of Sichuan partridge, we de novo assembled the Sichuan partridge reference genome. The final draft assembly consisted of approximately 1.09 Gb, and had a scaffold N50 of 4.57 Mb. About 1.94 million heterozygous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected, 17,519 protein-coding genes were predicted, and 9.29% of the genome was identified as repetitive elements. A total of 56 olfactory receptor (OR) genes were found in Sichuan partridge, and conserved motifs were detected. Comparisons between the Sichuan partridge genome and chicken genome revealed a conserved genome structure, and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that Arborophila possessed a basal phylogenetic position within Phasianidae. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of positively selected genes (PSGs) in Sichuan partridge showed over-represented GO functions related to environmental adaptation, such as energy metabolism and behavior. Pairwise sequentially Markovian coalescent analysis revealed the recent demographic trajectory for the Sichuan partridge. Our data and findings provide valuable genomic resources not only for studying the evolutionary adaptation, but also for facilitating the long-term conservation and genetic diversity for this endangered species.

In our research, the complete mitochondrial genome of Culicicapa ceylonensise was determined and described, which was the first complete mitogenome reported in the Culicicapa. The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of C. ceylonensise was 16,851 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and one control region (D-loop). The overall base composition of the mitochondrial DNA was 29.8% for A, 23.5% for T, 31.8% for C, and 14.9% for G, and the percentage of GC content was 46.7%. The complete mitochondrial genome information of C. ceylonensis will contribute to the phylogenetic studies of the Passeriformes.

Mitochondrial genome sequences are valuable resources for systematics and conservation biology studies. In this paper, we present the complete mitogenome of Aquila nipalensis which was 18,450 bp in length. The gene content and arrangement were typical for avian mtDNA. The overall A þ T content of was 54.1%, and the AT skew was calculated as 0.12 for the complete mitogenome of A. nipalensis. The maximum-likelihood (ML) tree based on the concatenated 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs) revealed the basal phylogenetic position of A. nipalensis in Aquila.