Metagenomic analysis of the gut microbiota of hooded cranes (Grus monacha) on the Izumi plain in Japan

Recent advances in DNA sequencing technology have dramatically improved our understanding of the gut microbiota of various animal species. However, research on the gut microbiota of birds lags behind that of many other vertebrates, and information about the gut microbiota of wild birds such as migratory waterfowl is particularly lacking. Because the ecology of migratory waterfowl (e.g., lifestyle, diet, physiological characteristics) differs from that of other birds, the gut microbiota of migratory waterfowl likely also differs, but much is still unknown. The hooded crane (Grus monacha) is an important representative migratory waterbird species and is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List of Threatened Species. In this study, we analyzed the bacterial and viral microbiota in the gut of hooded cranes by using deep sequencing data from fecal samples of hooded cranes that winter on the Izumi plain in Japan, and found that Cetobacterium, Clupeiformes, and Pbunavirus were clearly present in the fecal samples of hooded cranes. These findings advance our understanding of the ecology of hooded cranes.