Molecular Determination of Sex from Down and Feather in Wild and Reared Monomorphic and Dimorphic Birds at Juvenile Age

The inability to distinguish males from females in young birds is a major obstacle for pair formation in reintroduction–restocking programs and commercial–amateur breeding. Several techniques are employed to address this problem, but not all of them are suitable for juvenile subjects. Among the vari...

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Main Authors: Antonio Ciro Guaricci, Mario Cinone, Salvatore Desantis, Giovanni Michele Lacalandra, Maria Albrizio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Animals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/6/892
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author Antonio Ciro Guaricci
Mario Cinone
Salvatore Desantis
Giovanni Michele Lacalandra
Maria Albrizio
author_facet Antonio Ciro Guaricci
Mario Cinone
Salvatore Desantis
Giovanni Michele Lacalandra
Maria Albrizio
author_sort Antonio Ciro Guaricci
collection DOAJ
description The inability to distinguish males from females in young birds is a major obstacle for pair formation in reintroduction–restocking programs and commercial–amateur breeding. Several techniques are employed to address this problem, but not all of them are suitable for juvenile subjects. Among the various tests applied for sex determination, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is one of the genetic tools that seems to be most effective (rapid, not invasive and cheaper). In this study, DNA was extracted from down and feathers to make the procedure less stressful for nestlings. The DNA was amplified by PCR, and the amplicon was subjected to the restriction endonucleases procedure when the gender was not clearly identified by PCR alone. One hundred and fifty-three avian species were sexed using this procedure, including 27 for the first time. In all the nestlings and juveniles tested, sex was correctly identified; in fact, all pairs that reached sexual maturity during this study gave offspring.
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spelling doaj-art-58cb2bb2d288488995741d4fcf48e8e72025-08-20T02:42:45ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-03-0115689210.3390/ani15060892Molecular Determination of Sex from Down and Feather in Wild and Reared Monomorphic and Dimorphic Birds at Juvenile AgeAntonio Ciro Guaricci0Mario Cinone1Salvatore Desantis2Giovanni Michele Lacalandra3Maria Albrizio4Department of Regenerative and Precision Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70121 Bari, ItalyDepartment of Regenerative and Precision Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70121 Bari, ItalyDepartment of Regenerative and Precision Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70121 Bari, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine (DiMeV), University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70010 Valenzano, ItalyDepartment of Regenerative and Precision Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70121 Bari, ItalyThe inability to distinguish males from females in young birds is a major obstacle for pair formation in reintroduction–restocking programs and commercial–amateur breeding. Several techniques are employed to address this problem, but not all of them are suitable for juvenile subjects. Among the various tests applied for sex determination, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is one of the genetic tools that seems to be most effective (rapid, not invasive and cheaper). In this study, DNA was extracted from down and feathers to make the procedure less stressful for nestlings. The DNA was amplified by PCR, and the amplicon was subjected to the restriction endonucleases procedure when the gender was not clearly identified by PCR alone. One hundred and fifty-three avian species were sexed using this procedure, including 27 for the first time. In all the nestlings and juveniles tested, sex was correctly identified; in fact, all pairs that reached sexual maturity during this study gave offspring.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/6/892molecular sexingmonomorphic birddimorphic birdchicksRFLP-PCRdown
spellingShingle Antonio Ciro Guaricci
Mario Cinone
Salvatore Desantis
Giovanni Michele Lacalandra
Maria Albrizio
Molecular Determination of Sex from Down and Feather in Wild and Reared Monomorphic and Dimorphic Birds at Juvenile Age
Animals
molecular sexing
monomorphic bird
dimorphic bird
chicks
RFLP-PCR
down
title Molecular Determination of Sex from Down and Feather in Wild and Reared Monomorphic and Dimorphic Birds at Juvenile Age
title_full Molecular Determination of Sex from Down and Feather in Wild and Reared Monomorphic and Dimorphic Birds at Juvenile Age
title_fullStr Molecular Determination of Sex from Down and Feather in Wild and Reared Monomorphic and Dimorphic Birds at Juvenile Age
title_full_unstemmed Molecular Determination of Sex from Down and Feather in Wild and Reared Monomorphic and Dimorphic Birds at Juvenile Age
title_short Molecular Determination of Sex from Down and Feather in Wild and Reared Monomorphic and Dimorphic Birds at Juvenile Age
title_sort molecular determination of sex from down and feather in wild and reared monomorphic and dimorphic birds at juvenile age
topic molecular sexing
monomorphic bird
dimorphic bird
chicks
RFLP-PCR
down
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/6/892
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