DNA barcodes of birds from northern Colombia

By

Pulgarín-R, Paulo
Olivera-Angel, Martha
Ortíz, Luisa
Nanclares, Duván
Velásquez-Restrepo, Sara
Díaz-Nieto, Juan

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021-05-21

Original Publication

Biodiversity data journal

Volume

9

Pages

1--14

Subjects

Aves , lowland tropical forest , mtDNA , northern Colombia

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft Publishers [2013]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.9.e64842
eLocator: e64842

 

Abstract

DNA barcode datasets are a useful tool for conservation and aid in taxonomic identification, particularly in megadiverse tropical countries seeking to document and describe its biota, which is dropping at an alarming rate during recent decades. Here we report the barcodes for several low elevation bird species from northern Colombia with the goal to provide tools for species identification in this region of South America. We blood-sampled birds in a lowland tropical forest with various degrees of intervention using standard 3 × 12 m mist-nets. We extracted DNA and sequenced the COI barcode gene using standard primers and laboratory methods. We obtained 26 COI sequences from 18 species, 10 families and three orders and found that barcodes largely matched (but not always) phenotypic identification (> 90%) and they also facilitated the identification of several challenging passerine species. Despite our reduced sampling, our study represents the first attempt to document COI barcodes for birds (from blood samples) in this part of Colombia, which fills a considerable gap of sampling in this part of South America.