Coracias benghalensis, a seasonally breeding sub-tropical bird, displays a peculiar rolling behavior to attract the female for courtship and territoriality. The avian hippocampal complex (HCC) is a dorsomedial component of the forebrain and is involved in cognitive functions and sexual behavior. The present study was aimed to identify and characterize the neuronal classes, dendritic arborization, and spines density in the HCC of C. benghalensis during the quiescent phase of the breeding cycle. Adult male birds were collected during the winter season from a wild zone of Prayagraj (25° 28′ N, 81° 54′ E), U.P., India. These birds were transcardially perfused, and whole brains were stained with Cresyl-violet and Golgi-Colonnier staining method. We observed unipolar, bipolar, pyramidal, and multipolar types of projection neurons and local circuit (aspinous) neurons with a qualitative and quantitative characterization of soma size, dendritic arborization, and spine density. The multipolar neurons with the highest spine density were predominantly present in the HCC of C. benghalensis. This study concludes that the birds neuronal diversity and neuronal characteristics suggest a unique character that helps the bird perform overt rolling behavior as functional (learning and memory) intervention of the HCC.
Key words: Bird, Coracias benghalensis, Hippocampal complex, Neurons, Dendritic arborization, Spine density
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