Portable DNA scanner aims to identify every birdspecies

[Andrew Taylor <>]

On Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 06:12:07AM +1100, Peter Shute wrote:
> Thanks, Graham, I'll take that as a yes!  If these devices come
> into being then I guess the mass testing of feathers from wader
> roosts could provide a valuable supplement to the data obtained
> from banding.  Not only would you get a list of species visiting,
> but also the individuals.  I wonder if the price of them would ever
> be low enough for the humble atlasser to own one,

Sorry its a no.  I'm sure the price will come down to those levels over
the next decade or two.  But the sequence in the bar-coding work won't
let you count individuals.  Multiple individuals at a roost will likely
have identical sequences.  This is particularly likely if they share a
recent maternal ancestor, e.g. a maternal grandmother.  In groups other
than birds, identical sequences have even been between found between species.

Andrew