title: Annual pattern of fecal corticoid excretion in captive Red-tailed parrots (Amazona brasiliensis).
abstract: Annual patterns of fecal corticoid excretion were analyzed in the threatened Red-tailed parrot (Amazona brasiliensis) in captivity. Corticoid concentration over the 15 months of the study (mean +/- standard error, 12.6 +/- 0.32 ng g(-1), n = 585) was lowest around May (the southern Fall), and greatest around September (late winter), just prior to their normal breeding period. Corticoid excretion follows a seasonal pattern best explained by reproductive cycles rather than climate, although climate may be involved in the timing of corticoid excretion. Fecal corticoids also show promise as a tool to measure stress levels. We demonstrate that fecal corticoid measurement is a simple, yet efficient method for monitoring adrenocortical activity in captive, and perhaps wild, parrots. Monitoring adrenocortical activity can inform researchers about imposed stress in captivity, whether pair-bonds are forming in captive birds, and of the timing of breeding both in captivity and in nature.
authors.affiliation: Curitiba Zoological Park, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucyenne G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Popp
authors.forename: Patrícia P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Serafini
authors.forename: Angela L S
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Reghelin
authors.forename: Katherinne Maria
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Spercoski
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Roper
authors.forename: Rosana N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Morais
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D046708:Amazona / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D002980:Climate; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism*; D012098:Reproduction; D012621:Seasons; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones