Characterization of 12 polymorphic microsatellites for the Reddish Egret, Egretta rufescens

The Reddish Egret is a rare, plumage dimorphic North American heron with disjunct colonies across its range due to habitat specialization. We isolated and characterized 12 novel polymorphic microsatellite loci for the Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) using 31 individuals from a single breeding colony in Texas. The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 10 among the loci within the colony. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.03 to 0.90 while expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.03 to 0.88. Two loci failed to meet Hardy-Weinberg expectations after correction while none of the loci exhibited significant linkage disequilibrium. Only 1 loci contained possible null alleles. These molecular markers will be used to assess genetic structure across the species range as well as examine potential differentiation between color morphs within and among populations.