Structural Identification of the Diester Preen-Gland Waxes of the Red Knot (Calidris canutus)

Abstract
The intact C32−C48 diester wax esters of the preen gland of the migrating bird Calidris canutus are shown, using synthesized standards, to comprise predominantly C12−C16 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.