Morphological Characteristics of the Sperm of the Peregrine Falcon ( Falco peregrinus ) during the Reproductive Season

• Published in: Veterinary Sciences
• Main Authors: Andrea Oliveira, Felisa Martínez, Lydia Gil, Victoria Luño
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021
• Subjects: peregrine falcon; sperm morphology; sperm defects; reproductive season; Veterinary medicine; SF600-1100; Falco peregrinus
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci8090169; https://doaj.org/article/d9e978f51d3c47ac8ba7b8eb10833572

The morphological characteristics of different sperm cells (normal, abnormal, and immature) in the peregrine falcon during the reproductive season were analysed. We also classified the main sperm defects found in semen. Semen samples were collected from mature peregrine falcons via cloacal massage and stained with Diff-Quik stain. The percentages of normal, abnormal, and immature sperm cells were determined by bright-field optical microscopy. The number of normal spermatozoa were greater at the initial stage and subsequently decreased during the middle and later stages of the reproductive season ( p < 0.01). In contrast, the percentage of abnormal spermatozoa increased significantly in the middle and end stages of the reproductive season ( p < 0.05), whereas the proportion of immature spermatozoa remained stable during the study. Head defects represented the greatest proportion of morphological abnormalities, followed by the defects in the tail and midpiece regions. A small percentage of multiple defects and cytoplasmic droplets were also observed in the falcon spermatozoa. The findings of this study might be important for the development of future conservation protocols for falcon sperm.