Exercise 4: Courtship behavior in ring doves

Question 1

What is courtship

Answer 1

An individual attempts to attract a mate and exhibit their readiness to copulate

Multisensory signals

Question 2

Sensory modalities

Answer 2

Vision
Olfactory
Audition

Question 3

Ring doves

Answer 3

Domesticated form of African collared dove

Model species to study multisensory signals

Question 4

Ring doves courtship behavior

Answer 4

Males initiate courtship

females comes into breeding condition (induce hormone secretion)

Courtship behavior will change

Question 5

Procedure

Answer 5

Use ethogram with specific behaviors

Two setups.

Score male and female in familiar pair

After score male and female in unfamiliar pair

Scored first in isolation and then in reunion

Question 6

Experimental setup

Answer 6

Isolation and reunion (2 min each)

Scoring first with familiar pair and then unfamiliar pair.

Question 7

Aim

Answer 7

The aim of this practical is to identify sex-specific types of ring dove courtship behaviour.

Moreover, we will observe how the behaviours change in isolated versus reunited individuals, and which behaviours are displayed in familiar versus unfamiliar pairs

Question 8

Conclusion

Answer 8

Our results found that when the pigeons were reunited the courtship behaviour rose between them. More laughing, tail-up and bowing was detected which could correlate with our expectations.