A SUITE OF FALCON SINGLE-LOCUS MINISATELLITE PROBES - A POWERFUL ALTERNATIVE TO DNA-FINGERPRINTING

Nine falcon single-locus minisatellite probes have been cloned, charac terized and shown to provide a powerful alternative to multilocus DNA fingerprinting for determining the parentage of broods of young. Eight clones derived from size-selected peregrine Falco peregrinus and merl in F. columbarius charomid libraries were found to detect single minis atellite loci in all tested members of the genus Falco. A further clon e (cFti1) randomly selected from a kestrel F. tinnunculus library iden tified a single locus in other members of the genus and certain specie s of the Accipitridae. The nine loci display a mean heterozygosity of 88% and considerable allelic diversity in the peregrine and merlin. Pe digree analysis provides evidence consistent with the clustering of mi nisatellites in linkage groups that are conserved between species. Mut ations were observed at five loci among families of peregrines and kes trels. Composite profiles produced with this suite of probes provide a n excellent means of confirming identity and parentage. The use of pro filing for investigating familial relationships, population dynamics a nd combating the illegal trade in wild falcons is discussed.