UNAIR NEWS– Eduardus Bimo Aksono H. (Dr., M.Kes., drh.) is a lecturer of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FKH) who is also a researcher of Tropical Disease Diagnostic Center (TDDC). With a team in TDDC as a part of Institute of Tropical Disease (ITD) UNAIR, he always tries to make an applicative breakthrough for the society. They identify a problem at the grass root level in all sectors and propose a real solution.
One of his teams works is the method to determine bird sex on monomorphic birds (animals which their sexes are indistinguishable from its anatomical and morphological structures). After conducting research from 2012 to 2014, TDDC can determine if a bird is a male or a female by merely observe their feathers color.
Bimo explained that the research was inspired by his discussion with a breeder of straw headed bulbul from Wisma Mukti Sukolilo Surabaya named Gunawan. At that time Gunawan complained how it was difficult to determine the bird sex. This problem made him difficult to mate and breed them. The problem was not his own only, it was a problem for all straw headed bulbul breeders.
From this discussion, Bimo and his team conducted a research. Besides field observation, bird sample collection was also needed for laboratory observation. At first, they thought of taking DNA samples from the blood, but the straw headed bulbul is vulnerable to being stressed. The blood extraction process might be able to make them stressed or even dead.
Finally, the sample is taken from the feathers. They are easy to get and it will not make the birds stressed. They can be acquired from the fallen feathers around the birds. The most important part of the feathers is the calamus containing chromosome of sex.
The sample then brought to the laboratory and observed with PCR method (polymerase chain reaction), which is a technique or a method to replicate DNA enzymatically without the organisms. From the series of observations conducted to chromosome samples in TDDC the birds sex can be determined. Not only for the straw headed bulbul, but this method can also be used to other monomorphic birds.
From the feather, we will observe the chromosome. If it is heterozygotic, it is a female. If the chromosome is homozygotic, it means it is a male, said the man who is also the secretary of Information and Public Relations Center (PIH) UNAIR.
The technological development initiated by UNAIR has proven a lot of myths. All this time, the bird sexing of straw-headed bulbul only refers to its behavior. For example, some people say that a bigger head would mean a male, or if the tail shorter then it is a female. Those perspectives are almost 100 percent incorrect. Maybe, according to Gunawan, the closest thing to truth was only about the sound. There is a slight sound difference between the male and the female.
The problem is, the sound can only be detected by someone who has been in the field for a long time. Furthermore, the sound is only heard when the bird wants to mate. The problem is, there is male bird which sounds like the female. So, researching through their sound is quite complicated, he said.
The inability to determine the bird sex affects in various ways. Irresponsible myths are getting more popular. For example, some say that straw headed bulbul is difficult to breed, gets stressed easily and so on.
The key to a successful straw-headed bulbul breeding is to know the sex of the bird. If we know it, pairing process will get easier. The economic benefit will be clear and can be measured. People out there mostly still use guessing approach. So, there can be a pair of homosexual in a cage. They will never lay eggs and breed.
Bimo conveyed that this method is proven to be useful in the community. Economically, it has been able to raise the price of the bird. So, the researchers contributions have already been significant for the birds breeder or hobbyist. Not only in Surabaya, but the research also affects the wider society such as in Blitar, Jakarta, Semarang and other regions. (*)
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
