Genomic insights into the endangered white-eared night heron ( Gorsachius magnificus )

Objectives A genome sequence of a threatened species can provide valuable genetic information that is important for improving the conservation strategies. The white-eared night heron ( Gorsachius magnificus ) is an endangered and poorly known ardeid bird. In order to support future studies on conservation genetics and evolutionary adaptation of this species, we have reported a de novo assembled and annotated whole-genome sequence of the G. magnificus . Data description The final draft genome assembly of the G. magnificus was 1.19 Gb in size, with a contig N50 of 187.69 kb and a scaffold N50 of 7,338.28 kb. According to BUSCO analysis, the genome assembly contained 97.49% of the 8,338 genes in the Aves (odb10) dataset. Approximately 10.52% of the genome assembly was composed of repetitive sequences. A total of 14,613 protein-coding genes were predicted in the genome assembly, with functional annotations available for 14,611 genes. The genome assembly exhibited a heterozygosity rate of 0.49 heterozygosity per kilobase pair. This draft genome of G. magnificus provides valuable genomic resources for future studies on conservation and evolution.