Effects of long-acting testosterone administration on testes in free living pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca.

Male pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca given injections of long-acting testosterone, when in full breeding condition, maintained spermatogenesis. In males given vehicle only and in untreated males the testes collapsed at the time of hatching of the brood. The number and secretory activity of the Leydig cells, as indicated by enzymic activities, were markedly lowered after testosterone administration. The results make it unlikely that testosterone is responsible for testicular regression in this species, but it may affect the mechanism regulating the number and activity of the Leydig cells.