Structural Identification of the Diester Preen-Gland Waxes of the Red Knot (<i>Calidris </i><i>c</i><i>anutus</i>)

Abstract

The intact C(32)-C(48) diester wax esters of the preen gland of the migrating bird Calidris canutus are shown, using synthesized standards, to comprise predominantly C(12)-C(16) alkane-1,2-diols esterified with octanoic, decanoic, and dodecanoic acid at one position, and with predominantly even-numbered carbon fatty acids at the other position.