EFFECTS OF FOOD-DEPRIVATION AND HANDLING STRESS ON FAULT-BAR FORMATION IN NESTLING AMERICAN KESTRELS FALCO-SPARVERIUS

Citation
Jj. Negro et al., EFFECTS OF FOOD-DEPRIVATION AND HANDLING STRESS ON FAULT-BAR FORMATION IN NESTLING AMERICAN KESTRELS FALCO-SPARVERIUS, Ardea, 82(2), 1994, pp. 263-267
Citations number
22
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Ornithology
Journal title
ArdeaACNP
ISSN journal
0373-2266
Volume
82
Issue
2
Year of publication
1994
Pages
263 - 267
Database
ISI
SICI code
0373-2266(1994)82:2<263:EOFAHS>2.0.ZU;2-9
Abstract
We document the extent of fault-bar formation in the wing and tail fea thers of 45 hand-reared and 18 parentally reared American Kestrels Fal co sparverius raised in captivity on temporarily interrupted (30 birds ) and uninterrupted (15 birds) ad libitum diets. Hand-reared birds wer e handled extensively throughout the experiment, parentally reared bir ds were not. Hand-reared nestlings developed an average of 2.8, 8.0 an d 4.3 and parentally reared nestlings an average of 0.6, 1.4 and 0.4 f ault bars on their rectrices, primaries and secondaries, respectively. All hand-reared birds, including the group whose diet was not interru pted, had significantly more fault bars on their rectrices, primaries and secondaries, than did parentally reared birds. Fault-bar formation in birds whose ad libitum diets were interrupted did not increase at times of food deprivation and handreared birds from which ad libitum f ood had been withheld for 24 to 48 hours did not have more fault bars than hand-reared birds whose diets had not been interrupted. Our resul ts suggest that excessive fault-bar formation in captive birds is most likely due to handling stress, rather than to food deprivation.