Balthazart J (ed): Hormones, Brain and Behaviour in Vertebrates. 2. Behavioural Activation in Males and Females-Social Interaction and Reproductive Endocrinology. Comp Physiol. Basel, Karger, 1990, vol 9, pp 143–153

摘要: The behavior of the grey partridge (Perdix perdix), a wild Galliform at risk of becoming extinct in many European regions, is characterized by monogamy, biparental chick care and gregariousness [1-4]. In autumn and winter the covey, which is formed by one or more families and sometimes by some adults which failed to reproduce, defends a territory-including rest, dust bath and foraging areas-against neighbouring partridges. In late winter, the covey disperses as a result of increased intracovey aggressiveness between subjects of the same sex [5] and slackened flock bonds. Pairs are formed after a series of reciprocal courtships mainly between animals of different coveys, a behaviour which ensures outbreeding. Pairs, which are strictly monogamous, defend all-purpose territories. While only the females incubate, males participate in parental care by covering chicks, guarding and guiding them during foraging activity.A social structure subject to deep seasonal changes offers the occasion to study physiological modifications underlying different behavioural states. Groups of birds hatched in the incubator and reared together in large outdoor enclosures (artificial coveys) exhibit the seasonal behavioural features of the species, ie gregariousness and flock individuality [5, 6], monogamy, a tendency towards outbreeding and biparental care [7]. In a series of experiments carried out in artificial coveys over the annual cycle, we studied the relationships of the gonadal hormones to various sociosexual situations.