Microflora in the crop of adult Dusky-billed Parrotlets (Forpus modestus)

We isolated aerobic and anaerobic facultative bacteria inhabiting the crop of adult Dusky-billed Parrotlets (Forpus modestus). We looked for bacteria capable of hydrolyzing starch, the most abundant polysaccharide in seeds. We compared our results with bacteria isolated from the crop of three species of doves with granivorous-frugivorous diet and three carnivore birds. Forpus modestus has 10(7)-10(8) of colony formation units (CFU); these values were higher by one to three orders of magnitude compared with those observed in the other species studied. Bacillus pumilus, one of the most abundant bacteria isolated in F. modestus (6.03 x 10(6) CFU), was capable of hydrolyzing starch. We found higher diversity and abundance of bacteria in granivorous than in carnivorous birds or birds without a developed crop. Additionally, we found yeasts in the three species of doves. These findings suggest microbial activity in the crop, although its importance in food digestion needs to be determined.