Journal of Environmental and Agricultural Sciences (JEAS). Mohamed et al., 2016. Volume 7: 19-22
Open Access – Short Communication
Assessment of Plasma Prolactin and Nest Defense Behaviour During Breeding Cycle of Pigeon (Columba livia domestica)
Radi A. Mohamed 1,*,*, Mustafa Shukry2, Tarek M. Mousa-Balabel1, Ahmed A. Elbassiouny 3
1 Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine (Animal Behavior and Welfare), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University (P.O. 33516), Egypt.
2 Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University (P.O. 33516), Egypt.
3 Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine (Zoonosis), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University (P.O. 33516), Egypt
Abstract
Pigeons have been accepted as an ideal animal model for analysing the differences between stages of breeding cycle. The objective of this study was to assess plasma prolactin and nest defense behaviour during breeding cycle of pigeon. Five pairs of white king pigeon (Columba livia domestica) were randomly selected from a colony kept in a tower. The birds were at least 12- 18 months old and all had bred successfully.
Results showed significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences in circulating prolactin at different stages of pigeon breeding cycle. However, the highest level was observed during the stage of egg incubation followed by squabs brooding and then courtship. On the other hand, the nest defense behaviour during courtship, egg incubation, and after egg hatch (squabs brooding) was mainly in form of avoidance (69 and 71 %), defense (74 and 83 %), and aggression (71 and 77 %) in both male and female respectively. The study concluded that prolactin plays a critical role in proper egg incubation, hatching and rearing of squabs and both male and female become more aggressive after egg hatch to protect their squabs.
Keywords
Aggression, Avoidance, Courtship, Egg incubation, Prolactin, Pigeon behavior, Plasma Prolactin
*Corresponding author: Radi A. Mohamed: radi_2007@yahoo.co.uk
Cite this article as Mohamed, R.A., M. Shukry, T.M. Mousa-Balabel and A.A. Elbassiouny. 2016. Assessment of plasma prolactin and nest defense behaviour during breeding cycle of pigeon (Columba livia domestica). Journal of Environmental & Agricultural Sciences. 7:19-22.  [Abstract] [View Full–Text] [Citations]. Title: Assessment of Plasma Prolactin and Nest Defense Behaviour During Breeding Cycle of Pigeon (Columba livia domestica) Authors: Radi A. Mohamed, Mustafa Shukry, Tarek M. Mousa-Balabel and Ahmed A. Elbassiouny Pages: 19-22
Copyright © Mohamed et al., 2016. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original author and source are appropriately cited and credited.
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