Is the Incubation Patch Required for the Construction of a Normal Nest?
- 1 August 1980
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Ornithological Applications
- Vol. 82 (3), 328-334
- https://doi.org/10.2307/1367403
Abstract
New methods are presented for examining the function of the incubation patch in the nest-building process. These involve direct interference with the tactile sensitivity of the brood patch and hence its ability to assess nest size and texture. The patch may be covered with a pliable plastic apron or rendered completely insensitive to touch by surgical denervation. Data from several experiments employing such methods indicate that the incubation patch is not required for construction of a nest of normal size and composition by Canaries. In addition, its absence does not affect the birds' disinterest in nest-building as egg-laying approaches. The results suggest that receptors in places other than the incubation patch may be used in its absence to assess nest quality and size.This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- THE EFFECTS OF OESTROGEN, PROGESTERONE AND PROLACTIN ON BROOD PATCH FORMATION IN OVARIECTOMIZED CANARIESJournal of Endocrinology, 1967