Bird Sexing

Most bird species, including parrots and many birds of prey, are sexually monomorphic, meaning that males and females cannot be distinguished by their appearance. In birds, females are the heterogametic sex (ZW) and males the homogametic sex (ZZ), so sex can be determined by detecting sex-chromosome-linked genetic markers. Molecular sexing from a small blood or feather sample is essential for breeding programmes, conservation projects and the pet bird trade.

The OneqPCR-realtime™ Bird Sexing Kit is a ready-to-use assay for molecular sex determination in birds from genomic DNA by real-time PCR (qPCR). Specific primers and a FAM-labelled hydrolysis probe amplify the target, while an internal control detected in the HEX channel reveals possible PCR inhibition or extraction failure. Positive and negative controls are included, and results can be analysed qualitatively or quantitatively using a standard curve.