Supplemental Table S1. Supplies needed for collecting, processing, and storing blood. The assay
section of this table lists only very basic equipment and supplies because requirements vary with
the type of assay being conducted. It is best to consult someone who has conducted particular
assays or consult the method sections of recently published papers. In most cases, supplies can be
purchased from a general laboratory supplier (e.g., Fisher Scientific, Thermo Fisher Scientific,
Inc., Pittsburgh, PA; VWR International, LLC, Radnor, PA). Also, many institutions have a
campus store where common laboratory and chemical supplies can be purchased.
Item category
Specific items
Blood Collection
Syringes

Insulin syringes (½”, or 1.3 cm length and 28-29 gauge); jugular vein,
small birds

Single-use syringe needles (5/8”, or 1.6 cm length; 25 – 27 gauge);
brachial vein, small birds

Syringe and luer lock needle (3-ml syringe with 22 – 25 gauge needle);
brachial or jugular vein on large birds
Capillary tubes
Collection vials

Heparinized (red; 50 - 75 μl), for plasma

Non-heparinized (blue; 50 - 75 μl), for serum

Microhematocrit pipet bulb for dispensing blood into collection vial

Microcentrifuge tubes, 1.5 – 2.5 ml

Vacutainer tubes; 3 – 5.0 mL (red tops have no anticoagulant and
purple tops are EDTA-treated), used for blood samples from large birds

Serum separator tubes; variety of sizes
Other

Microcentrifuge tube rack (cut them down into small units for taking
into the field)

Clay sealant (e.g., Hematoseal)

Cotton balls

Corn starch

Alcohol, 70% isopropanol alcohol (rubbing alcohol); distilled water

Cooler

Wet or dry ice

Sharps container
Processing blood samples in lab/field
Centrifuge

Microcentrifuge for 1.5-2-ml tubes

Microhematocrit centrifuge/rotor for capillary tubes

Centrifuge/rotor for large (3-5.0 ml) vacutainers; some operate from
cigarette lighter in car (e.g., Portafuge, LW Scientific, Lawrenceville,
GA)
Storage vials

Microcentrifuge tube rack

Microcentrifuge tubes; storage in -20oC; variety of types (e.g., nonsterile, sterile, and DNase/RNase free)

Cryogenic vials (for storing samples in liquid nitrogen or -80oC freezer)

Fiberboard boxes for vial storage
Freezer/refrigerator 
-20oC non-frost-free freezer (i.e., does not go through periodic warming
and cooling cycles)

-70 to -80oC freezer

Liquid nitrogen dewar (storage of samples in cryogenic state), not
commonly needed for most avian studies.
Other

4oC standard refrigerator

Hamilton syringe

Sharps container

Single channel pipet
Less common laboratory equipment needed for particular assaysa
Hematocrit
Microhematocrit centrifuge or rotor attachment (see above), digital calipers
or hematocrit reader card or rotor cover with reader
WBC and blood
Coplin jars, hematology stain (combination Wright/Giemsa stainsb), plastic
parasite count
slide grip (to dip 5 slides simultaneously), slide boxes, slide drying rack,
compound microscope with oil immersion (1000x), manual key blood
counter, and microscope oil
Hormone assays
Extractions: Evaporator rackc, chemical fume hood, nitrogen gas cylinder
RIA, scintillation counter; EIA, kitsd, microplate reader that reads
absorbance at 405 nm, microplate shaker (500 rpm)
Immunoassays
Microplate washer, microplate reader, incubator, kits (if applicable),
(EIA and ELISA)
appropriate filters on the microplate reader for the particular assay,
pipettors (i.e., single and multichannel and repeator), incubator (37oC)
Plasma metabolites See equipment above for immunoassays, metabolite-specific kitse, BOHB
will require a microplate reader that can do kinetic assays
PCR-based assays
Thermocycler (PCR) and Real-Time thermocycler (quantitative PCR), gel
box, reagents, and DNA and RNA extraction kitsf
Great resource for setting up and working in a laboratory is the book “At the bench: a
laboratory navigator” by K. Barker.
b
A good quick (quik) stain for blood smears is Hema-3 staining system from ThermoFisher
Scientific or Camco Quik Stain ® from VWR International.
c
Evap-O-Rac System from Cole-Parmer, Inc. (Vernon Hills, IL).
d
Enzo Life Sciences, Inc. (formerly Assay Designs, Inc) has EIA kits for frequently assayed
hormones
e
Triglyceride kit (#TR0100, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB; RBiopharm #10907979035). Please note that suppliers and supplier company names for the
various kits change frequently and therefore one must consult methods sections of recently
published papers to find current kit information.
f
Numerous companies supply DNA and RNA extraction kits (e.g., Qiagen, Inc., Valencia, CA;
Invitrogen, Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA).
a
Supplemental Table S2. Description of a warming box for small songbirds (K. Paxton, pers.
comm.)
Choose a small (lunchbox size) soft-bodied cooler and divide it into four equal sized
compartments using cardboard or similar material. Each morning, pour boiling water into a small
(500 ml) plastic bottle and place the bottle in one of the cooler compartments. More boiling
water can be stored in an insulated thermos for use later in the day. The warmth of the water can
keep the cooler warm for up to 3 hrs, but time will vary depending on ambient temperature and
how often the cooler is opened. At time of capture, place the bird in a bird bag, and then place
the bag into one of the compartments for 2 to 5 min. Afterwards remove the bird and collect the
blood sample. The temperature of the cooler must be monitored with a thermometer to make sure
it does not get too hot (>26oC). If the temperature is too warm, unzip the top to let heat escape.