Book Review: Scot McKnight, <i>The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible</i>

On Parakeets, in The New World

Candidiasis in a Parakeet an Avenue to Zooanthroponosis

An enigmatic parakeet – the disputed provenance of an Indian Ocean <i>Psittacula</i>

Cuban Parakeet (Psittacara euops)

Sex identification of sexually monomorphic avian species for captive breeding by morphological traits alone has a high risk of misidentification. Therefore, sex identification using molecular techniques are recommended. In contrast to mammals, avian females are the heterogametic sex (2 different sex chromosomes: ZW) and males are the homogametic sex (ZZ). Based on the intronic length polymorphism between two homologous Chromo-Helicase-DNA binding ( CHD ) genes on Z ( CHD-Z ) and W ( CHD-W ) chromosomes were used to determine sex of avian. In this study, genomic DNA was collected from blood using FTA card of Sun Conure ( Aratinga solstitialis ), Monk Parakeet ( Myiopsitta monachus ) and Crimson-bellied Conure ( Pyrrhura perlata ). Using the 2550F/2718R primers, the resulting polymerase chain reaction products showed clearly resolved fragments on a conventional agarose gel electrophoresis. These primers produced two amplified fragments (2 bands about 500 and 650-700 bp) for females due to intron length differences and only one amplified fragment (a single band about 650-700 bp) for males. Thus, this process allows for sex identification of parrots which essential for the success of captive breeding programs since there is no sexual dimorphism.

The Auk, Vol. 127, Number 4, pages 948−951. ISSN 0004-8038, electronic ISSN 1938-4254.  2010 by The American Ornithologists’ Union. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Rights and Permissions website, http://www.ucpressjournals. com/reprintInfo.asp. DOI: 10.1525/auk.2010.10084 Noel F. R. SNydeR,1,3 GReGoRy F. BudNey,2 aNd eduaRdo e. InIGo-elIaS2

Chi-hang Chan*, Kaye N Ballantyne, David M Lambert & Geoffrey K Chambers Institute for Molecular Systematics, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand; Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Molecular BioSciences, Massey University, North Shore Mail Centre, Private Bag 102904, Auckland, New Zealand (*Corresponding author: Phone: +64-4-4721000-ext-8121; Fax: +64-4-4635331; E-mail: chihang_chan@yahoo.co.nz)

A Snake - Parakeet incident

Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, a bird-snake incident was observed, which is noteworthy.

A Snake - Parakeet incident

Parakeet damage to marigold

PBFD in Large Parakeets

The Paraclete and the Parakeet

Gray Hawk Mobbed by Olive-throated Parakeets

The Lady and the Parakeet

Parakeets

Copulation Observed in Maroon-Tailed Parakeets in Meta, Colombia

Two hundred five subjects involved in raising or processing turkeys were surveyed for clinical and laboratory evidence of hypersensitivity lung disease. One hundred forty· two (69 per cent) described respiratory symptoms occuring within I hour after working with the birds. Thirteen workers (6 per cent) also reported dyspnea, cough, myalgia, and fever occurring 4 to 8 hours after exposure to turkeys. Sera from II per cent of the study population contained precipitating anti­ bodies against turkey serum, whereas 18 per cent of subjects had positive skin tests to turkey antigens. When compared with the group of 63 subjects without complaints, the symptomatic group had a significantly higher prevalence of precipitating antibodies to turkey serum, positive skin tests to both turkey and environmental antigens, elevated IgE levels, and atopic histories. Many of the immediate onset respiratory symptoms were considered to represent type I im­ munologic reactions, whereas delayed symptoms were thought .to represent type III reactions. This study showed that hypersensitivity pulmonary disease may occur in persons working with turkeys and that the delayed reactions closely resembled the same syndrome reported in pigeon and parakeet breeders.

Asthma due to parakeet and canary feathers