Sex identification of parrots, toucans, and curassows by PCR: Perspectives for wild and captive population studies

Abstract

Methods for the identification of the sex of bird species without external sexual dimorphism are specially important in field studies and for captive breeding of endangered taxa. We confirmed the accuracy of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based method to identify the sex in three disparate avian orders that included 31 species of parrot, two species of toucan, and eight species of curassow, for which many individuals were previously sexed. In each case, two DNA fragments were amplified in females and one in males with the use of a single set of primers. This method was also tested on unsexed birds of 13 other species of parrot and five species of toucan. The same kind of polymorphism was detected in each. The PCR products of parrots and toucans could be separated in simple agarose gels, while the curassows' products could only be distinguished in acrylamide gels. An advantage of this DNA test is that samples of blood or feathers can be easily collected and stored at room temperature, which is of particular importance for studies of wild birds. Zoo Biol 17:415–423, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Sex determination in Turdus amaurochalinus (Passeriformes: Muscicapidae): morphometrical analysis supported by CHD gene

“…Laboratory analysis: Sex determination was carried out at the Bird Ecology Laboratory, Ecology Department of the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) using the CHD gene technique developed by Griffiths et al (1998), and modified by Miyaki et al (1998). DNA was extracted using the phenolchloroform extraction/alcohol precipitation method described in detail by Bruford et al (1992) or by cellular lysis as described by Khatib & Gruenbaum (1996).…”

“…The sexual identification of birds is very important for population and conservation studies, particularly for reproduction programs of threatened species (Ellegren & Sheldon 1997, Miyaki et al 1998, identification of morphological aspects (King & Griffiths 1994, Burns 1998, behavioural ecology and evolutionary biology (Ellegren 1996, Lessells & Mateman 1998.…”

“…The CHD gene has been used successfully in many bird species , Miyaki et al 1998, Ito et al 2003, Sacchi et al 2004, Lee et al 2007, 2010, since the gene is preserved in most bird species (Griffiths & Tiwari 1995).…”

Determinación Del Sexo Por Adn en Cinco Especies De Guacamayos

“…En este estudio, se pudo contar con individuos de sexo conocido para estandarizar la prueba en una primera etapa, de manera muy similar a la metodología empleada en estudios realizados en aves relacionadas (Miyaki et al, 1998). A pesar que las muestras permanecieron conservadas en condiciones de refrigeración por cuatro meses, su posterior empleo no alteró la calidad del ADN de las aves, lo cual es importante si se trabajan muestras de especies en situación crítica o Cuadro 1.…”

Genética da conservação aplicada ao tráfico ilegal de aves

“…A razão entre estrógeno e testosterona, utilizada na análise de esteróides fecais, não é altamente confiável para determinação do sexo. Por último, embora a sexagem por meio de análises cariotípicas seja adequada em aves, já que cromossomos sexuais ZW e ZZ são encontrados em fêmeas e machos, respectivamente, esta demanda grande tempo e é difícil em espécies que possuem cromossomos sexuais praticamente idênticos 28 .…”