| Abstract: | Eight microsatellite loci were characterized from the Kaka (Nestor meridionalis), a New Zealand parrot, using a polymerase chain reaction‐based isolation technique. Locus‐specific primers were used to genotype nine Kaka populations and tested on 25 other species of parrot. The number of alleles observed within Kaka ranged from one to 16 in the 12–126 individuals screened and two loci exhibited greater than 60% heterozygosity. Furthermore, these primers are likely to be useful in population‐level studies of two other New Zealand parrots. |
