Wildl. Biol. Pract., 2014 June 10(1): 39-50 doi:10.2461/wbp.2014.10.5
TECHNICAL NOTE
Evaluating the Effect of Short-Term Capture and Handling on Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolite Levels in Mourning Doves D.S. Jachowski1,2,*, T.W. Mong1, B.E. Washburn1,3, J.H. Schulz1,4 & J.J. Millspaugh1 Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Univ. of Missouri, 302 ABNR Building, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. 1
Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, 106 Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. 3 USDA, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 6100 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, OH 44870, USA. 4 Missouri Department of Conservation, Conservation Research Center, 1110 South College Avenue, Columbia, MO 65201, USA. * Corresponding author e-mail:
[email protected]. 2
Keywords Stress; Physiology; Handling; Captivity; Mourning dove.
Abstract The measurement of stress hormones (i.e., glucocorticoids) has greatly advanced animal conservation. Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite assays are valuable because they are noninvasive, but their ability to detect responses to short-term (