Abstract
In this study two experiments were run in parallel. To evaluate the possible influence of moult and age on differential white blood cell (WBC) counts, we captured juvenile and adult house sparrows (Passer domesticus) and housed them in outdoor aviaries. Blood was collected twice, before and after moult. Numbers of basophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes were higher in juveniles than in adults, whereas numbers of eosinophilic cells were similar in the two age groups. Moult induced an increase in basophils and monocytes in both juveniles and adults. This indicates that moult and age impose different immunological challenges on house sparrows. To evaluate the effect of testosterone on differential WBC counts, some house sparrows in aviaries received testosterone during the moult period. Testosterone administration reduced, though not significantly, the number of all WBC types in juveniles, and therefore appeared to have an nonspecific effect. However, the number of lymphocytes increased only in adults, which suggests a specific effect on this cell type in this age group.
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