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FREE BIRDS AREN'T FAT: WEIGHT GAIN IN CAPTURED WILD PIGEONS MAINTAINED UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS
Author(s) -
Poling Alan,
Nickel Mark,
Alling Ken
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1938-3711
pISSN - 0022-5002
DOI - 10.1901/jeab.1990.53-423
Subject(s) - zoology , body weight , biology , weight gain , communication , psychology , endocrinology
Nine feral pigeons, 5 from an urban setting and 4 from a rural setting, were captured and maintained for 42 days under free‐feeding conditions comparable to those arranged for laboratory subjects. On average, birds increased their body weights by 17% over this period. The range of increase across birds was 9 to 30%. These findings suggest that the food deprivation arranged for laboratory pigeons, which is characteristically 80% of free‐feeding weights, may in some sense be less severe than it first appears.