We have characterized a set of 106 microsatellite markers in 26-127 individual blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), and assigned their location on the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) and on the chicken (Gallus gallus) genome based on sequence homology. Thirtyone markers are newly designed from zebra finch EST sequences, 22 markers were developed by others from EST sequences using different method...

There is growing evidence that ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths play an important role in avian mate choice. One of the first experiments to support this idea showed that female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) prefer UV-reflecting males to males whose ultraviolet reflection has been removed. The effect was very strong despite little or no UV reflection from several plumage areas. However, it is...

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.03.030 0003-3472/ 2014 The Association for the Study of A An important component of mate choice is the sex of the potential partner, yet little is known about the factors that cause an individual to pair with the opposite sex. In the current study, we addressed the role of exposure to adult females during development in adult mate choice using a socially...

Over the last decade, tremendous progress has been made toward a comparative understanding of gene regulatory evolution. However, we know little about how gene regulation evolves in birds, and how divergent genomes interact in their hybrids. Because of the unique features of birds - female heterogamety, a highly conserved karyotype, and the slow evolution of reproductive incompatibilities - an ...

A linkage map of the ruff (Philomachus pugnax) genome was constructed based on segregation analysis of 58 microsatellite loci from 381 captive-bred individuals spanning fourteen breeding years and comprising 64 families. Twenty-eight of the markers were resolved into seven linkage groups and five single marker loci, homologous to known chicken (Gallus gallus) and zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttat...