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Prolactin secretion in a brood parasite, the brown‐headed cowbird, Molothrus ater
Author(s) -
Dufty A. M.,
Goldsmith A. R.,
Wingfield J. C.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1987.tb05963.x
Subject(s) - prolactin , biology , brood parasite , brood , endocrinology , paternal care , radioimmunoassay , medicine , population , zoology , cowbird , hormone , secretion , seasonal breeder , parasitism , ecology , host (biology) , pregnancy , offspring , genetics , demography , sociology
Blood samples were collected from a free‐living population of male and female brown‐headed cowbirds, Molothrus ater , during the breeding season and plasma levels of prolactin were measured by radioimmunoassay. Prolactin concentrations in both sexes increased significantly in mid to late May; peak levels were reached by June and were maintained throughout June and into July. Prolactin levels in juveniles were significantly lower than in adults but were still elevated. Prolactin has been implicated in parental care in several avian species; however, cowbirds are brood parasites with complete absence of parental behaviour, suggesting that prolactin must function in another capacity in cowbirds, or that cowbirds have developed target tissue insensitivity to this hormone.