Pioneering UAE technique to help identify pure-bred falcons

Researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi aim to create the most comprehensive collection of genetic profiles of many species

A gyrfalcon is put through its paces at the Al Dhafra Festival in Abu Dhabi. New techniques developed by NYUAD should allow breeders to determine which creatures are purebreds. Jeff Topping / The NationalShow less

Pioneering genetic analysis in the UAE could make it easier to find out if a falcon is a pure-bred.

Researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi intend to create the most comprehensive genetic profiles of many species and subspecies.

Using blood samples, scientists will understand the complete genetic material – or genome – of gyrfalcons, peregrine falcons and saker falcons.

The results could be of great value to falconers in the country, as the profiles could be used to analyse the lineage of birds being bought from abroad.

If someone shows up at a falcon race, or you want to buy something from a breeder, right now you don't have the tools available to say it's pure bred or not

Dr Justin Wilcox, a researcher at NYUAD's Centre for Genomics and Systems Biology, has been carrying out the laboratory work since the project began one and a half years ago.

He is supervised by Prof Stephane Boissinot and Dr Youssef Idaghdour, an assistant professor.

“If you have [a bird that is] half and half, you can tell it’s a hybrid. The problem is if you have one-eighth saker and seven-eighths gyrfalcon: you cannot look at it and see it,” said Dr Wilcox.

“You really need good quality genomes to develop accurate methods for determining if something is a hybrid or not.

“If someone shows up at a falcon race, or you want to buy something from a breeder, right now you don’t have the tools available to say it’s a pure-bred or not.”

Researchers said analysing the genetics of individual birds would be “just one application” for obtaining their complete genetic profiles.

The main benefit of the study will be to assist further research in falcon genetics, including looking at the effects of conservation programmes on the genetics of the birds, and preventing inbreeding.

While falcons are found on every continent except Antarctica, some breeds, including the peregrine falcon, have suffered due to human activity.

Dr Justin Wilcox in his laboratory at NYUAD. Pawan Singh / The National

“We’re attempting to read the DNA sequences of the falcons and assemble them into a full genome,” said Dr Wilcox.

“We’re cutting up that genome into small pieces and using computer programmes to assemble these together to get the full genome. We’re looking to produce new genomes that are much more complete.”

Many blood samples for the sequencing come from the UAE, including from Al Aseefa Falcon Hospital in Dubai and the Dubai Falcon Centre.

“Falcons are a spectacular animal to be doing research on. Their interaction with humans is almost as great as any other animal,” said Dr Wilcox.

“When you think of companion animals, you don’t think of falcons, but falcons and humans have been intertwined for ever.

"Humans have been practising falconry for 5,000 years. It's been an important part of culture, especially in the old world – Europe, Africa and the Middle East."

Dr Wilcox described falcons as having "a lot of biological peculiarities", including having fewer chromosomes – the bundles of DNA and proteins found in the nucleus of a cell – than typical for birds.

Falcons have 50 chromosomes, organised into 25 pairs, while most birds have at least 80 chromosomes.

As part of NYU Abu Dhabi's work on falcon genetics, Dr Wilcox, Prof Boissinot and Dr Idaghdour published a scientific paper on how the birds evolved.

Titled 'Falcon genomics in the context of conservation, speciation and human culture', the paper was in the journal Ecology and Evolution.