Molecular techniques for sex identification in birds

Abstract: In many bird species, males and females cannot be discriminated on the basis of external characteristics. The problems associated with reliable sex identification were overcome by introducing the molecular techniques in the 1990s. These techniques are generally based on DNA hybridization or polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This paper reviews the sexing techniques, highlighting their advantages and drawbacks. To date, the amplification of primers related to the CHD gene is the most rapid, cheap and reliable technique of almost universal application. The description of sexing techniques is accompanied with a short overview of DNA sampling, storage and extraction methods