Differentiation of Military Macaws (Ara militaris) in captivity using photo-identification
The Military Macaw (Ara militaris) is an endangered species with scarce available information on its natural history. One of the main problems regarding its study has been the identification of individuals, which rapidly reach adult size and lack sexual dimorphism. Traditional marking techniques us...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad |
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| Online Access: | https://revista.ib.unam.mx/index.php/bio/article/view/3331 |
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| author | Berenice Núñez-López Francisco Alberto Rivera-Ortíz Carlos Alberto Soberanes-González María del Coro Arizmendi |
| author_facet | Berenice Núñez-López Francisco Alberto Rivera-Ortíz Carlos Alberto Soberanes-González María del Coro Arizmendi |
| author_sort | Berenice Núñez-López |
| collection | DOAJ |
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The Military Macaw (Ara militaris) is an endangered species with scarce available information on its natural history. One of the main problems regarding its study has been the identification of individuals, which rapidly reach adult size and lack sexual dimorphism. Traditional marking techniques used to identify individuals require their capture; however, there is a high risk of injury. Also, marking can influence behavior, reproduction, and survival, so there is a high probability of disturbing the population. To minimize such disturbances, it is advisable to use natural markings to identify individuals. Photo-identification is one marking technique that can help to identify individuals without disturbing populations. In the case of the Military Macaw, the face lines (feather patterns) present natural marks that can be used for the photo-identification of individuals using specialized software. In this study, we tested the utility (effectiveness) of photo-identification in 24 Military Macaw individuals in captivity. Significant differences were found between the feather patterns on the right and left sides of the face of the same individual and also between the feather patterns on the right and left sides among individuals. We propose here that photo-identification is a reliable technique for distinguishing Military Macaws individuals within a population, opening the door to more specific ecological studies.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5514d98eb18b4c078f8d2c7f4ac115b8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1870-3453 2007-8706 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad |
| spelling | doaj-art-5514d98eb18b4c078f8d2c7f4ac115b82025-08-20T03:49:36ZengUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoRevista Mexicana de Biodiversidad1870-34532007-87062021-09-019210.22201/ib.20078706e.2021.92.3331Differentiation of Military Macaws (Ara militaris) in captivity using photo-identificationBerenice Núñez-López0Francisco Alberto Rivera-Ortíz1Carlos Alberto Soberanes-González2María del Coro Arizmendi3Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Facultad de Estudios Superiores IztacalaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México Facultad de Estudios Superiores IztacalaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México Facultad de Estudios Superiores IztacalaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala The Military Macaw (Ara militaris) is an endangered species with scarce available information on its natural history. One of the main problems regarding its study has been the identification of individuals, which rapidly reach adult size and lack sexual dimorphism. Traditional marking techniques used to identify individuals require their capture; however, there is a high risk of injury. Also, marking can influence behavior, reproduction, and survival, so there is a high probability of disturbing the population. To minimize such disturbances, it is advisable to use natural markings to identify individuals. Photo-identification is one marking technique that can help to identify individuals without disturbing populations. In the case of the Military Macaw, the face lines (feather patterns) present natural marks that can be used for the photo-identification of individuals using specialized software. In this study, we tested the utility (effectiveness) of photo-identification in 24 Military Macaw individuals in captivity. Significant differences were found between the feather patterns on the right and left sides of the face of the same individual and also between the feather patterns on the right and left sides among individuals. We propose here that photo-identification is a reliable technique for distinguishing Military Macaws individuals within a population, opening the door to more specific ecological studies. https://revista.ib.unam.mx/index.php/bio/article/view/3331Feather patternsPhoto-identificationMilitary MacawNatural markings |
| spellingShingle | Berenice Núñez-López Francisco Alberto Rivera-Ortíz Carlos Alberto Soberanes-González María del Coro Arizmendi Differentiation of Military Macaws (Ara militaris) in captivity using photo-identification Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad Feather patterns Photo-identification Military Macaw Natural markings |
| title | Differentiation of Military Macaws (Ara militaris) in captivity using photo-identification |
| title_full | Differentiation of Military Macaws (Ara militaris) in captivity using photo-identification |
| title_fullStr | Differentiation of Military Macaws (Ara militaris) in captivity using photo-identification |
| title_full_unstemmed | Differentiation of Military Macaws (Ara militaris) in captivity using photo-identification |
| title_short | Differentiation of Military Macaws (Ara militaris) in captivity using photo-identification |
| title_sort | differentiation of military macaws ara militaris in captivity using photo identification |
| topic | Feather patterns Photo-identification Military Macaw Natural markings |
| url | https://revista.ib.unam.mx/index.php/bio/article/view/3331 |
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