Chapter 6 GENETIC ANALYSES OF NONINVASIVELY COLLECTED FEATHERS CAN PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS INTO AVIAN DEMOGRAPHY AND BEHAVIOR

The use of noninvasively collected samples for genetic analyses has dramatically impacted studies of species that are threatened, endangered, or sensitive to disturbance. Although the pioneering work employing noninvasively collected samples for genetic analyses used hair or feces to study mammals, naturally shed feathers are increasingly used to study avian demography and behavior. Studies on larger birds such as eagles, vulture, or herons can particularly benefit from the incorporation of research that uses noninvasively collected samples, as these species are often challenging to study by traditional means because they are difficult to capture and mark. Wing-tagging and telemetry studies generally collect information on only a limited number of individuals due to logistical and financial constraints, which means that data on demography and dispersal are usually sparse for these species. A strength of using single, shed feathers for genetic analyses is that DNA markers can provide permanent genetic “tags ” for identification; in general, if two feathers are genetically identical they originated from the same individual. Because tens, hundreds, or even thousands of feathers can be collecte