Abstract
Hummingbird sex identification can be difficult, especially for juveniles. Accurate sex identification is vital for ecology, population health, and conservation biology studies; therefore, a simple molecular technique, that is accurate with less-invasive sampling methods such as feathers, would be useful. Eleven PCR primer pairs reported to identify sex of other bird species were tested in five hummingbird species inhabiting western North America (Anna’s: Calypte anna, Black-chinned: Archilochus alexandri, Allen’s: Selasphorus sasin, Rufous: Selasphorus rufus, and Costa’s Hummingbird: Calypte costae). The two best performing primer pairs were compared using DNA from tissue, blood, and feathers. One primer set was 100 % accurate and optimal for all samples. The less invasive feather sampling method accurately identified sex and has important conservation application for hummingbirds and for ensuring field-sexing data accuracy.
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