Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus and host behaviour at Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus nests

Ibis ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
ARNE MOKSNES ◽  
EIVIN RØSKAFT ◽  
LISE GREGER HAGEN ◽  
MARCEL HONZA ◽  
CECILIE MØRK ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reed Warbler ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Acrocephalus Scirpaceus ◽  
Host Behaviour

The common cuckoo Cuculus canorus is not locally adapted to its reed warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus host

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 314-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. AVILÉS ◽  
J. R. VIKAN ◽  
F. FOSSØY ◽  
A. ANTONOV ◽  
A. MOKSNES ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reed Warbler ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Acrocephalus Scirpaceus ◽  
The Common

scholarly journals Heterospecific alarm-call recognition in two warbler hosts of common cuckoos

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1149-1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangping Yu ◽  
Hailin Lu ◽  
Wei Sun ◽  
Wei Liang ◽  
Haitao Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alarm Call ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Reed Warbler ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Call Recognition ◽  
Accipiter Nisus ◽  
Main Host ◽  
The Common

Abstract Species facing similar selection pressures should recognize heterospecific alarm signals. However, no study has so far examined heterospecific alarm-call recognition in response to parasitism by cuckoos. In this study, we tested whether two sympatric host species of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus, Oriental reed warbler Acrocephalus orientalis (ORW, main host), and black-browed reed warbler Acrocephalus bistrigiceps (BRW, rare host), could recognize each other’s alarm calls in response to cuckoos. Dummies of common cuckoo (parasite) and Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus (predator) were used to induce and record alarm calls of the two warbler species, respectively. In the conspecific alarm-call playback experiments, ORW responded more strongly to cuckoo alarm calls than to sparrowhawk alarm calls, while BRW responded less strongly to cuckoo alarm calls than to sparrowhawk alarm calls. In the heterospecific alarm-call playback experiments, both ORW and BRW responded less strongly to cuckoo alarm calls than sparrowhawk alarm calls. BRW seemed to learn the association between parasite-related alarm calls of the ORW and the cuckoo by observing the process of ORW attacking cuckoos. In contrast, alarm calls of BRW to cuckoos were rarely recorded in most cases. BRW with low parasite pressure still developed recognition of heterospecific parasite-related alarm call. Unintended receivers in the same community should recognize heterospecific alarm calls precisely to extract valuable information.

Environmental conditions influence egg color of reed warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus and their parasite, the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus

2006 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 475-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús M. Avilés ◽  
Bård G. Stokke ◽  
Arne Moksnes ◽  
Eivin Røskaft ◽  
Anders P. Møller
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Acrocephalus Scirpaceus ◽  
The Common

scholarly journals Egg Mimicry in Cuckoos Parasitizing Four Sympatric Species of Acrocephalus Warblers

The Condor ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 829-837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Edvardsen ◽  
Arne Moksnes ◽  
Eivin Røskaft ◽  
Ingar J. Øien ◽  
Marcel Honza
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Great Reed Warbler ◽  
Brood Parasite ◽  
Reed Warbler ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Garden Warbler ◽  
Sedge Warbler ◽  
Acrocephalus Scirpaceus ◽  
Sylvia Borin

AbstractThe Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is an interspecific brood parasite that mimics the eggs of its hosts. In this study we tested the resemblance between Cuckoo and host eggs in four host species breeding in sympatry: the Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), Great Reed Warbler (A. arundinaceus), Sedge Warbler (A. schoenobaenus), and Marsh Warbler (A. palustris). According to the “gentes theory,” individual Cuckoos lay eggs that mimic those of a single host species, and they parasitize only that species. We therefore expected the Cuckoo eggs to more closely resemble the eggs of their respective host species than eggs of sympatric hosts. However, analyses showed no such resemblance; test subjects were not able to distinguish Cuckoo eggs taken from nests of different host species. The most common Cuckoo egg type resembled the eggs of the Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin), a frequent European Cuckoo host which, however, has not been found parasitized in the study area. A possible evolutionary origin for this resemblance is discussed. Results from radio-tracking of Cuckoo females in the study area have shown that host preference does exist. This preference has not yet been manifested in the evolution of clear Cuckoo egg morphs adapted to the different host species.Imitación de Huevos por Cuculus canorus que Parasitan Cuatro Especies Simpátricas de AcrocephalusResumen. El cuco (Cuculus canorus) parasita los nidos de varias especies imitando los huevos de sus especies hospederas. En este estudio cotejamos la similitud entre los huevos de cucos y los huevos de cuatro especies hospederas que crían en simpatría: Acrocephalus scirpaceus, A. arundinaceus, A. schoenobaenus, A. palustris. De acuerdo a la “teoría de gentes” los huevos que pone un individuo de cuco imitan sólo a los huevos de una especie hospedera, y por lo tanto parasita sólo a esa especie. Debido a esto esperábamos que los huevos de cucos fueran más similares a los huevos de sus respectivas especies hospederas que a los huevos de las demás especies hospederas simpátricas. Sin embargo, los análisis no mostraron dicha similitud; los individuos testeados no fueron capaces de distinguir entre huevos de cucos tomados de nidos de diferentes especies hospederas. El tipo de huevo más común de cuco se asemeja a los huevos de Sylvia borin, una especie hospedera frecuente para los cucos europeos, la cual, sin embargo, no ha sido encontrada parasitada en el área de estudio. Se discute el posible origen evolutivo de dicha similitud. Los resultados de telemetría de hembras de cucos en el área de estudio han mostrado que la preferencia de hospedadores existe. Esta preferencia no se ha manifestado aún en la evolución del morfo claro de huevo de cuco adaptado a las diferentes especies hospederas.

scholarly journals Evidence for egg discrimination preceding failed rejection attempts in a small cuckoo host

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Antonov ◽  
Bård G Stokke ◽  
Arne Moksnes ◽  
Eivin Røskaft
Keyword(s):  
Structural Strength ◽  
Egg Rejection ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Egg Discrimination ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
The Common ◽  
Hippolais Pallida ◽  
Host Behaviour ◽  
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

Given the high costs of avian obligate brood parasitism, host individuals are selected to reject parasitic eggs they recognize as foreign. We show that rejection may not necessarily follow egg discrimination when selective removal of the parasitic egg is difficult. We studied egg rejection behaviour in a small host of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus , the eastern olivaceous warbler Hippolais pallida , by experimental parasitism with model and real non-mimetic cuckoo eggs and video recordings of host behaviour. Hosts pecked 87 per cent (20 out of 23) of the model eggs but eventually accepted 43.5 per cent (10 out of 23) of them. A similar pattern was found for real cuckoo eggs, which were all pecked, but as many as 47 per cent (7 out of 15) of them were accepted. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a cuckoo host discriminating against real parasitic eggs but often accepting them. Our results also show that in host species experiencing difficulties in performing puncture ejection, non-mimetic cuckoo eggs may avoid rejection by means of their unusually high structural strength.

BETWEEN POPULATIONS OF REED WARBLERS IN DEFENCES AGAINST BROOD PARASITISM

Behaviour ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 137 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Lindholm ◽  
Robert Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Alternative Explanation ◽  
Genotypic Differences ◽  
Population Differences ◽  
Reed Warbler ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Accipiter Nisus ◽  
Acrocephalus Scirpaceus ◽  
Population Turnover

AbstractTwo potential defences against brood parasitism by the cuckoo Cuculus canorus were compared experimentally between British populations of reed warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus that are parasitised at different rates. (1) Rates of rejection of model cuckoo eggs were lower at two unparasitised populations which did not have resident cuckoos, than at a rarely parasitised population which had cuckoos nearby, and at a regularly parasitised population. (2) Reed warblers from an unparasitised population showed a slightly weaker response to taxidermic mounts of cuckoos and, unlike a parasitised population, did not differentiate between mounts of a cuckoo, sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus and jay Garrulus glandarius . Differences in exposure to real predators may explain the differences in responses to mounted predators between populations, as specific aggressive responses to predators are likely to have been learned. Although evidence from dispersal and population turnover data suggests that there is likely to be gene flow between reed warbler populations in Britain, the hypothesis that the population differences reflect genotypic differences could not be ruled out. An alternative explanation of phenotypic plasticity in defences could also explain the population differences. Phenotypic plasticity in defences would be favoured in environments where the risk of parasitism fluctuates, if those defences are costly to unparasitised reed warblers.

scholarly journals Experimental evidence for chick discrimination without recognition in a brood parasite host

2006 ◽  
Vol 274 (1608) ◽  
pp. 373-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomáš Grim
Keyword(s):  
Host Response ◽  
Brood Parasite ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Arms Races ◽  
Acrocephalus Scirpaceus ◽  
Cuckoo Chick ◽  
The Common ◽  
Recognition Errors ◽  
Host Parasite

Recognition is considered a critical basis for discriminatory behaviours in animals. Theoretically, recognition and discrimination of parasitic chicks are not predicted to evolve in hosts of brood parasitic birds that evict nest-mates. Yet, an earlier study showed that host reed warblers ( Acrocephalus scirpaceus ) of an evicting parasite, the common cuckoo ( Cuculus canorus ), can avoid the costs of prolonged care for unrelated young by deserting the cuckoo chick before it fledges. Desertion was not based on specific recognition of the parasite because hosts accept any chick cross-fostered into their nests. Thus, the mechanism of this adaptive host response remains enigmatic. Here, I show experimentally that the cue triggering this ‘discrimination without recognition’ behaviour is the duration of parental care. Neither the intensity of brood care nor the presence of a single-chick in the nest could explain desertions. Hosts responded similarly to foreign chicks, whether heterospecific or experimental conspecifics. The proposed mechanism of discrimination strikingly differs from those found in other parasite–host systems because hosts do not need an internal recognition template of the parasite's appearance to effectively discriminate. Thus, host defences against parasitic chicks may be based upon mechanisms qualitatively different from those operating against parasitic eggs. I also demonstrate that this discriminatory mechanism is non-costly in terms of recognition errors. Comparative data strongly suggest that parasites cannot counter-evolve any adaptation to mitigate effects of this host defence. These findings have crucial implications for the process and end-result of host–parasite arms races and our understanding of the cognitive basis of discriminatory mechanisms in general.

scholarly journals Cuckoos use host egg number to choose host nests for parasitism

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1928) ◽  
pp. 20200343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Longwu Wang ◽  
Canchao Yang ◽  
Gangbin He ◽  
Wei Liang ◽  
Anders Pape Møller
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Reed Warbler ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Host Nest ◽  
Laying Sequence ◽  
Egg Number ◽  
The Right

To maximize their offspring success common cuckoo ( Cuculus canorus ) females should lay their eggs into host nests before incubation has begun. This ensures that the parasite chick hatches before all host chicks and can evict its foster siblings to monopolize host parental care. Many studies have demonstrated that most cuckoo eggs are indeed laid before the onset of host incubation. But cues used by female cuckoos to choose the right nest at the right time remain unclear. Here, we combine field observations with a field experiment to test whether female cuckoos use the number of eggs in the nests of their Oriental reed warbler ( Acrocephalus orientalis ) hosts to direct their choice. Over 8 years of field observations and 5 years of experiments, cuckoo females placed the majority of their eggs in nests with fewer than three host eggs, i.e. early in the laying sequence. For natural nests, the cuckoos may use information gleaned from the activity and behaviour of the host parents to make their choice. In our sets of experimental nests containing different numbers of model eggs, the vast majority of parasitism events occurred in nests containing a single egg. To our knowledge, this is the first field experiment showing that cuckoos choose host nests for parasitism based on the number of host eggs they contain. It appears that cuckoo females use the egg number to estimate the appropriate host nest stage for timely parasitism.

scholarly journals Nest Size Matters: Common Cuckoos Prefer to Parasitize Larger Nests of Oriental Reed Warblers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Longwu Wang ◽  
Gangbin He ◽  
Canchao Yang ◽  
Anders Pape Møller ◽  
Wei Liang
Keyword(s):  
Foster Parents ◽  
Nest Size ◽  
Reed Warbler ◽  
Artificial Nest ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
Nest Choice ◽  
Experimental Findings ◽  
Large Host

Abstract BackgroundAvian brood parasites leave parental care of their offspring to foster parents. Theory predicts that parasites should select for large host nests when they have sufficient available host nests at a given time. We developed an empirical experimental design to address this hypothesis by studying nest choice of common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) among nests of its Oriental reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis) hosts.ResultsWe presented two groups of experimental nests: 1) nest dyads comprise one large and one small artificial nest from reed leaves, and 2) nest triads tied together use the modified old own warbler nests including enlarged, reduced and medium sized nests to elicit parasitism by common cuckoos. We predicted that cuckoos prefer larger nests over medium sized ones, and over the smallest nest. Our experimental findings show that common cuckoo females generally prefer large nests over medium or small sized nests. Furthermore, experiments showed that cuckoo parasitism was significantly more common than in previous studies of the same warbler population.ConclusionsOur results implying that larger, taller and more exposed host nests effectively increased the probability of cuckoo parasitism.

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