Psittacine Artificial Insemination

Abstract

Introduction

Ideally, all captive birds will be able to reproduce by natural means. There are instances where it may be necessary, or at least desirable, to use artificial assistance. The Raptor Rehabilitation Propagation Project, Inc. maintains 32 different species of birds of prey and a wide variety of psittacine species. Some of these birds are being utilized in an artificial insemination study. This article deals with some of the successes of our program as well as some of the needs we have observed.

Semen collection and subsequent insemination is routinely used in the domestic poultry industry, particularly with turkeys. The original work with artificial insemination in poultry was reported by Quinn and Burroughs (1936). Other techniques have been developed over the years, but most are based on that original procedure. The subject of artificial insemination of non-domestic avian species has been well reviewed (Gee and Temple, 1978). Many avian species have been successfully produced by artificial means. Those mentioned in the above review include ducks, geese, pigeons, doves, cranes, peafowl, hawks, falcons, eagles, curassows and turkeys. There are no psittacine species mentioned and as one checks the available literature, no reports of successful psittacine artificial insemination have been found.

There are several facets of avian artificial insemination that warrant investigation. These include semen collection, short term semen storage, long term semen storage, and insemination of the female.

Semen Collection Massage Techniques

As stated, massage techniques utilize adaptations of the procedure developed by Quinn and Burroughs (1936). At our project, several Maroon-bellied Conure (Pyrrhura Jrontalis) and Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) males have been used to develop a manual method of semen collection. Non-imprinted, unhandled birds were selected and then sexed with a laproscope.

Our semen collection technique is an adaptation of one previously published (Irwin, et al., 1986) and requires two persons - one to hold the bird and the other to actually stimulate the bird and collect the semen. The holder places and holds the bird in the left hand, with the head of the bird toward the holder. The right hand is placed below the left hand and holds the feet. The holder may choose to hold the bird with one hand, depending on hand size and bird size. Of course, it is necessary for the holder to wear proper gloves.

Stimulation involves stroking the back to the tail with the thumb and index finger of the right hand. After several strokes (eight to ten usually), the tail is pushed back dorsally with the right hand. Semen is then obtained by gently squeezing around the vent with the thumb and index finger of the right hand. Be careful not to injure the bird by using excessive pressure. The male should respond by engorging the tissues of the cloaca causing it to evert. The semen typically appears as a minute droplet appearing to little more than moisten the cloaca! tissues. The semen is immediately collected into a 20 ul or smaller blood capillary tube. Semen volumes are typically 1 to 2 ul and it is nearly clear, although some samples have a slight golden color. Because of this small volume, it has been desirable to point the tail of the bird toward a light source, such as a surgical lamp, for better visibility. Microscopic examination of the semen will indicate if spermatozoa are present, although the concentration may vary with each collection and between males.

Semen samples that we have collected have the typical avian shape. Avian sperm cells usually have long, narrow head and midpieces. They also have very long tails. However, under normal magnification, the tails may not be visible.

One should be able to collect semen on a daily basis; in fact, it is best to attempt daily collections to help condition the bird as a semen donor. If a male bleeds as a result of excessive pressure, he should be rested for three days before collections are resumed. Then reduce the amount of pressure used. Cooperative Semen Collection

Cooperative semen collection seems to be an area that merits exploration for psittacine breeding. Cooperative semen collection typically involves birds that are sexually imprinted on one or more humans. Such birds choose their human caretaker as their partner and will choose to "mate" with that partner, which simply means that they voluntarily ejaculate semen on the hand, head, shoulder or back of the person. Semen produced from cooperative donors is typically of better quality and volume than those samples collected by the massage method. Many instances of cooperative semen collections from non-domestic birds are found in the literature: Red-tailed Hawk, Temple (1972); Goshawks, Berry (1972); Golden Eagles, Grier (1973); and Prairie Falcons, Boyd and Boyd (1976).

Of course, the phenomenon of sexual imprinting is common in psittacine species. Imprinting most often occurs in birds that have been hand reared from hatching, in isolation from conspecifics. No references to cooperative semen collections with psittacines have been found in the literature. But, the possibility of locating cooperative semen donors seems to have real promise for psittacines since so many birds are hand reared.