Application of a noninvasive, PCR-based test for sex identification in an endangered parrot, Amazona guildingii.

The St. Vincent Amazon Parrot Consortium was established during the 1980s in an effort to cooperatively manage the captive population of the St. Vincent parrot (Amazona guildingii) and support conservation of the wild population. Ex situ management of A. guildingii has been hindered by the sexual monomorphism of the group, mediated in the past through the use of time-consuming, expert-driven, and sometimes hazardous sexing procedures. In this article, we apply a noninvasive, molecular sexing technique, using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA from a single feather tip to the captive populations of A. guildingii residing on St. Vincent (66 individuals) and Barbados (13 individuals). This study allowed for the rapid assessment of gender, while posing no threat to individual health, and will facilitate the efforts of the consortium breeding programs in the United States, Europe and on the islands of St. Vincent and Barbados. Zoo Biol 20:41-45, 2001. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.