| Abstract: | Previous studies have shown that incubation is shared by both male and female ring doves and is induced, without prior participation in courtship and nest building, by progesterone (100 mg/day) treatment. In the present experiment with 52 mature male ring doves, it was shown that the effectiveness of progesterone is markedly reduced by castration and restored after estradiol benzoate (200 mg/day * 14) pretreatment, thus simulating the endocrine events which precede incubation in the female. Estrogen also stimulated the appearance of nest cooing (another isomorphic behavior) but not bow cooing (a male-specific display). Results are discussed in terms of hormonal specificity underlying reproductive behavior and the possible physiological roles of estrogen and progesterone in the ring dove. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
