The gut microbiota in the common kestrel (): a report from the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center.

As a complex microecological system, the gut microbiota plays crucial roles in many aspects, including immunology, physiology and development. The specific function and mechanism of the gut microbiota in birds are distinct due to their body structure, physiological attributes and life history. Data on the gut microbiota of the common kestrel, a second-class protected animal species in China, are currently scarce. With high-throughput sequencing technology, we characterized the bacterial community of the gut from nine fecal samples from a wounded common kestrel by sequencing the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Our results showed that (41.078%), (40.923%) and (11.191%) were the most predominant phyla. (20.563%) was the most dominant genus, followed by (17.588%) and (5.956%). Our results would offer fundamental data and direction for the wildlife rescue.