The role of estrogen and progesterone in the regulation of reproductive behaviour in female ring doves (Streptopelia risoria) under long vs. short photoperiods
Liley, N.R.
Canadian Journal of Zoology 54(9): 1409-1422
1976
ISSN/ISBN: 0008-4301 PMID: 974937 DOI: 10.1139/z76-164Document Number: 430489
Female ring doves held under long (16 h/day) or short (8 h/day) photoperiods were treated daily for 15 days with saline, estrogen or progesterone, alone or in combination. Seven days after the start of hormone therapy females were placed with reproductively active males for 4 h/day for 9 days. There was no difference in egg-laying, courtship and nest-building by control birds under the 2 photoregimes. Ovarian follicles remained small in all birds receiving hormone treatment. Oviducts of birds receiving progesterone alone remained small in the short-photoperiod group, but at long photoperiods oviducts became enlarged. Estrogen stimulated oviduct growth at both photoperiods. The combined hormone treatment resulted in considerably greater oviduct development than estrogen alone, and in this case the oviducts of birds under long photoperiod were significantly heavier than those of short-photoperiod birds. Female soliciting and nest-building activity remained low in progesterone-treated females under short photoperiod but increased rapidly under long photoperiod. Birds treated with estrogen and estrogen plus progesterone performed considerable soliciting and nest-building. There was a marked tendency for birds under long-photoperiod conditions to be more active in nest-oriented behavior. Copulatory behavior by the female (begging and sexual crouch) occurred infrequently in all hormone-treated birds.