Celeste Walton: Investigating Hormone Profiles between North and South Island Pukeko: A Comparison of Different Breeding Strategies within the Same Species

Hormones have been shown to drive a wide array of reproductive behaviors, such as testosterone and aggression, prolactin and parental care, and estrogens and sexual receptivity. However, identifying hormones and specific mating behavior or breeding strategy is highly debated.

There are rare cases of the same species exhibiting different breeding strategies, and for this reason, the iconic pukeko (Porphyrio m. melanotus), a flightless, wading bird found in New Zealand, is an ideal subject. In the South Island, they exhibit monogamous breeding behavior without cooperative breeding, while in the North Island, they are polygynandrous and exhibit cooperative breeding. Pukeko from both the North and South Island will be caught and hormones samples across the breeding season to compare differences.</p>