150991 20251017144611.0 doi 10.3390/vetsci8090169 sideral 125612 ART-2021-125612 eng Oliveira, A. Morphological characteristics of the sperm of the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) during the reproductive season 2021 Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted The morphological characteristics of different sperm cells (normal, abnormal, and imma-ture) 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. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA-FEDER/A17-17R-RAySA info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es 2.518 2021 VETERINARY SCIENCES 37 / 145 = 0.255 2021 Q2 T1 0.52 2021 Veterinary (miscellaneous) 2021 Q1 2.6 2021 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Martínez, F. Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-1659-3387 Gil, L. Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-0797-1841 Luño, V. Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-7857-9732 1009 617 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Patología Animal Área Medicina y Cirugía Animal 8, 9 (2021), 8090169 [9 pp.] Veterinary Sciences 2306-7381 2126136 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/150991/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 2755399 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/150991/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:150991 articulos driver 2025-10-17-14:17:36 ARTICLE