Isolation, characterization and chromosome locations of polymorphic black-billed magpie Pica pica (Corvidae, AVES) microsatellite loci

One-hundred and two unique loci were isolated from a microsatellite-enriched black-billed magpie Pica pica genomic library. Sixteen of these new loci, along with 148 existing microsatellite passerine loci, were tested for polymorphism in four unrelated black-billed magpies. We identified a total of 43 unique polymorphic loci (10 and 33 respectively) that we characterized in 24 unrelated individuals from a population in Guadix, Spain. The putative chromosomal locations of loci polymorphic in black-billed magpie were assigned based on the location of their orthologues in the assembled zebra finch and chicken genomes.