Meeting Abstract

P2-55   -   Estradiol and predator cues affect behavior of female house sparrows in captivity Harding, CT; Kimball, MG; Stansberry, KR; Kelly, TR; Lattin, CR*; Louisiana State University; Louisiana State University; Louisiana State University; Louisiana State University; Louisiana State University christinelattin@lsu.edu

The presence of predators can cause major changes in animal behavior, but how this interacts with an animal’s hormonal state is understudied, despite the importance of this interaction during critical life history stages like reproduction. We gave female house sparrows (Passer domesticus) an estradiol (n=16) or empty implant (n=16) for one week. Four weeks after implant removal, we exposed half the birds in each hormone treatment to either 30 min of conspecific song or predator calls, and video recorded behavior. Videos were scored for activity, feeding, preening, beak wipes, feather ruffling, and vocalizations by a viewer blind to treatments. Female sparrows were less active during predator playback than conspecific playback, independent of hormone treatment. Birds performed more beak wipes and spent more time feeding during conspecific playback compared to predator playback, and when previously exposed to estradiol. There was also an interaction between hormone treatment and playback type: estradiol-treated birds hearing conspecific playback spent the most time feeding, and performed the most beak wipes, compared to all other groups. Overall, the decrease in activity, feeding, and beak wiping we observed with predator playbacks may indicate freezing or vigilance behavior. Our results also reveal that estradiol has long-term effects on feeding and beak wiping in female sparrows, suggesting this hormone may prime females to gain weight and increase self-maintenance in preparation for breeding. While studies examining neuronal activity suggest estradiol-treated female songbirds “tune out” neutral sounds to focus on conspecific calls, our behavior data suggest they do not tune out predator calls in the same way, and in fact show more dramatic reductions in behavior in response to potential threats that may help them avoid predation during an energetically demanding life history stage.