- Title
- Testing chemical markers on granivorous birds
- Creator
- Steele, G R, Whittington-Jones, Craig A, Craig, Adrian J F K
- Date
- 1999
- Type
- Article
- Identifier
- vital:6936
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011957
- Description
- We tested two substances (oxytetracycline and rhodamine B) that can be added to food or water of free-living birds, and serve as markers in their plumage for later identification. Oxytetracycline produced no detectable changes in the plumage of red bishops or redbilled queleas. Rhodamine B fed to captive birds produced fluorescence in the wing feathers when viewed under ultraviolet light. This fluorescence lasted for at least 14 weeks, and was retained until feathers were moulted. Rhodamine B may thus be useful in identifying birds using a specific feeding site, and for studies of moult and feather growth.
- Format
- 2 pages, pdf
- Language
- English
- Relation
- Steele, G.R. and Whittington-Jones, C.A. and Craig, A.J.F.K. (1999) Testing chemical markers on granivorous birds. South African Journal of Science, 95 (2). pp. 79-80.
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Collections
Craig, Adrian JFK (Prof)
SDG 15. Life On Land
RU Department of Zoology and Entomology
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details | SOURCEPDF | 692 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details |