Deep coverage sequencing and assembly using the following platforms: 454, Illumina and PacBio.

We (Erich Jarvis at Duke University and the BGI and Pacific Biosciences) sequenced the genome of a male budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), a parrot. His name is Mr. B for budgerigar. The common name is Australian parakeet (parakeet means a small parrot). Parrots are known for their complex behavioral traits, including having specialized brain pathways that control the imitation of vocalizations, such as human speech (Lavenex 2000 PMID : 10842208; Jarvis et al 2005 PMID: 15685220). In 1995 a budgerigar named Puck was credited by Guinness World Records as having the largest vocabulary of any bird, at 1,728 words(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talking_bird). Thus, their genomes may hold insights into understanding volution of complex traits, including speech. Example videos/documentaries of talking parrots: 1. Charlie the talking budgerigar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSeIDYFDv3E 2. Parrot intelligence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_Fpad20Zbk 3. Einstein, famous talking African Grey Parrot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rfGEtALHYs