Behavioral stimulation of ovarian growth.

The present study was conducted to test the following hypothesis: male courtship induced egg-laying behavior in the female ring dove is mediated by the female's nest-coo display which feeds back to stimulate her ovarian system through the mechanisms of audio- and proprioceptive feedback. In Experiment I, females were exposed to 24 hr male courtship and then received playback of different nest-coos in the absence of their mates. All playback was effective in inducing the females to perform nest-coo displays, but none as effective as presence of the courting males. A specified level of the female's nest-coo display determined whether there would be changes in follicular diameter. The females which received no playback after 24 hr pairing with the male (control) did not show any change in the follicular diameter. In Experiment II, females were deafened by removal of cochleae and upon recovery paired with males. Half of those deafened females performed nest-coo displays and subsequently laid clutches. The others failed to perform the display and did not lay. We conclude that both proprioceptive feedback and audio-feedback must be involved to yield maximal stimulation of follicular growth by the female's nest-coo display.