Crested fireback studbook : a creative project (HONRS 499)

Abstract

For my Senior Honors Project, I chose to produce a studbook for the Crested Fireback Pheasant. A studbook is a tool used in the management of captive animal populations. Studbooks are typically data bases stored on computer that record characteristics of a population such as number of individuals, ancestry, location of individuals, breeding success of individuals, sex ratios, and population age structure. These characteristics can then be assessed to plan a more effective management protocol for the animal in question. Studbooks were traditionally utilized to keep track of domestic animal bloodlines. They have become increasingly important in captive conservation strategies of endangered species in captivity.In recent months, the zoological community has been focusing new efforts on creating studbooks for birds in the order Galliformes (the game birds). These birds are under increasing pressure in their natural environments and many are considered to be critically endangered. One unique aspect of this order of birds is that large numbers are maintained in captivity, especially in the private sector. In the past, gallinate birds that were considered severely threatened in the wild have been produced in enormous numbers in captivity. Some species have even been restocked in the wild with varying degrees of success. However, the private individuals who are responsible for these spectacular breeding and release successes have had little instruction in the theories of population genetics and genetic drift. As a result, captive populations of many gallinates have been drastically affected by inbreeding.