Gonadal tissues for the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) small RNA sequencing

The budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) is the most widely studied parrot species which serves as an excellent model of behavior and neuroscience. We sequenced two small non-coding RNA libraries made from the gonads of adult male and female budgerigars using Illumina paired-end sequencing technology, respectively. The expression profiles of miRNAs from gonads were constructed, and a phylogenetic analysis was performed. Our work for the first time provided numerous characteristics of sex-biased miRNAs of the budgerigar, enriched the database in avian miRNAome and facilitated further functional research.