Aggression to dummy cuckoos by potential European cuckoo hosts

Behaviour ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 139 (5) ◽  
pp. 613-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bård Stokke ◽  
Csaba Moskát ◽  
Arne Moksnes ◽  
Vítezslav Bicík ◽  
Eivin Røskaft
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Structure ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Adaptive Behaviour ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Allopatric Populations ◽  
Vantage Points ◽  
Spatial Habitat

AbstractAggression directed by 53 potential host species towards a dummy of the parasitic common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, was tested in relation to their breeding habitat, their suitability as a host and whether they were breeding in sympatry or not with the cuckoo. Host habitats were divided into three categories: (1) always breeding near trees, (2) some populations breeding near trees, others in open areas, and (3) always breeding in open areas. Each species was also placed in one of five categories according to their suitability as a cuckoo host. Strong support was found for predictions derived from the 'spatial habitat structure hypothesis', which argues that common cuckoos only breed in areas where they have access to vantage points in trees. Thus, species which have some populations breeding near trees and others breeding further from trees have a different cuckoo-host population dynamics than species that always breed near trees, or always breed in open areas. Aggression levels were highest among species regarded as being always suitable as hosts, and species which always breed near trees. However, populations breeding in sympatry with the cuckoo were more aggressive than allopatric populations, indicating the plasticity of aggressive behaviour. Adaptive behaviour in cuckoo hosts can be predicted from the 'spatial habitat structure hypothesis'.

scholarly journals Egg Rejection in Marsh Warblers (Acrocephalus Palustris) Heavily Parasitized by Common Cuckoos (Cuculus Canorus)

The Auk ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 419-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Antonov ◽  
Bård G. Stokke ◽  
Arne Moksnes ◽  
Eivin Røskaft
Keyword(s):  
Rejection Rate ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Arms Race ◽  
Egg Rejection ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Recognition Ability ◽  
Acrocephalus Palustris ◽  
High Rejection Rate ◽  
Host Parasite

Abstract In the coevolutionary “arms race” between Common Cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) and their hosts, several adaptations and counter-adaptations have evolved. Here, we investigated natural parasitism and host sensitivity to egg rejection in Marsh Warblers (Acrocephalus palustris) in Bulgaria. The level of Common Cuckoo parasitism was high (28%), and average mimicry of Common Cuckoo eggs was good. Experimental parasitism with four egg-types that showed various degrees of mimicry of the host eggs revealed a generally high rejection rate of foreign eggs (37.5–100%). In addition, naturally laid Common Cuckoo eggs were rejected at a moderate rate (50%). The Marsh Warbler's ability to reject foreign eggs was strongly dependent on the degree of mimicry of the parasite egg but apparently not on differences in size between host and foreign eggs. Furthermore, intraclutch variation in host egg appearance was not related to the probability of egg rejection. The Marsh Warbler's highly developed egg-recognition ability and the good mimicry of Common Cuckoo eggs suggests that this poorly known host-parasite arms race has reached an advanced stage. The present study provides new insight into variables that are important for egg rejection in a heavily parasitized host population. Rechazo de Huevos en Nidos de Acrocephalus palustris Fuertemente Parasitados por Cuculus canorus

Cuckoo chicks evicting their nest mates: coincidental observations by Edward Jenner in England and Antoine Joseph Lottinger in France

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spencer G. Sealy ◽  
Mélanie F. Guigueno
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Cuckoo Chick ◽  
The Common ◽  
Made In ◽  
Royal Society Of London

For centuries, naturalists were aware that soon after hatching the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) chick became the sole occupant of the fosterer's nest. Most naturalists thought the adult cuckoo returned to the nest and removed or ate the fosterer's eggs and young, or the cuckoo chick crowded its nest mates out of the nest. Edward Jenner published the first description of cuckoo chicks evicting eggs and young over the side of the nest. Jenner's observations, made in England in 1786 and 1787, were published by the Royal Society of London in 1788. Four years before Jenner's observations, in 1782, Antoine Joseph Lottinger recorded eviction behaviour in France and published his observations in Histoire du coucou d'Europe, in 1795. The importance of Lottinger's and Jenner's observations is considered together.

Rejection of common cuckoo Cuculus canorus eggs in relation to female age in the bluethroat Luscinia svecica

2002 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 366-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trond Amundsen ◽  
Paul T. Brobakken ◽  
Arne Moksnes ◽  
Eivin Røskaft
Keyword(s):  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Female Age ◽  
Luscinia Svecica

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.

Phylogenetics and revised taxonomy of the Australian freshwater cod genus, Maccullochella (Percichthyidae)

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (9) ◽  
pp. 980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine J. Nock ◽  
Martin S. Elphinstone ◽  
Stuart J. Rowland ◽  
Peter R. Baverstock
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Data ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Protein Coding Genes ◽  
Allopatric Populations ◽  
Murray Darling Basin ◽  
Murray Cod ◽  
Australian Freshwater

Determining the phylogenetic and taxonomic relationships among allopatric populations can be difficult, especially when divergence is recent and morphology is conserved. We used mitochondrial sequence data from the control region and three protein-coding genes (1253 bp in total) and genotypes determined at 13 microsatellite loci to examine the evolutionary relationships among Australia’s largest freshwater fish, the Murray cod, Maccullochella peelii peelii, from the inland Murray–Darling Basin, and its allopatric sister taxa from coastal drainages, the eastern freshwater cod, M. ikei, and Mary River cod, M. peelii mariensis. Phylogenetic analyses provided strong support for taxon-specific clades, with a clade containing both of the eastern taxa reciprocally monophyletic to M. peelii peelii, suggesting a more recent common ancestry between M. ikei and M. peelii mariensis than between the M. peelii subspecies. This finding conflicts with the existing taxonomy and suggests that ancestral Maccullochella crossed the Great Dividing Range in the Pleistocene and subsequently diverged in eastern coastal drainages. Evidence from the present study, in combination with previous morphological and allozymatic data, demonstrates that all extant taxa are genetically and morphologically distinct. The taxonomy of Maccullochella is revised, with Mary River cod now recognised as a species, Maccullochella mariensis, a sister species to eastern freshwater cod, M. ikei. As a result of the taxonomic revision, Murray cod is M. peelii.

scholarly journals Coevolutionary Interactions Between Common Cuckoos and Corn Buntings

The Condor ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 414-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Antonov ◽  
Bård G. Stokke ◽  
Arne Moksnes ◽  
Eivin RØskaft
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Considerable Proportion ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Egg Discrimination ◽  
Old World ◽  
Corn Bunting ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Bulgarian Population ◽  
Reed Bunting

Abstract Although Old World buntings (Emberizinae) may be considered suitable Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) hosts, there is at present no evidence that any of the European species are regularly parasitized. Most historical parasitism records refer to the Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) and Reed Bunting (E. schoeniclus). Both of these species reject almost 100% of experimentally added nonmimetic eggs, and also a considerable proportion of experimentally added conspecific eggs, showing exquisite egg discrimination abilities. In this paper, we report Common Cuckoo parasitism and egg rejection behavior in a Bulgarian population of another Old World Emberizinae, the Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra). We found this species was regularly parasitized (9%, 8 of 90 nests) and that the parasitism rate was consistent among the three years of our study. Naturally laid Common Cuckoo eggs were fairly good mimics of host eggs and most were accepted (5 of 7). The Corn Bunting proved to be a suitable Common Cuckoo host as we recorded a successfully fledged cuckoo chick. Unlike Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings, Corn Buntings rejected only 42% (16 of 38) of experimentally introduced nonmimetic model Common Cuckoo eggs and none of the experimentally introduced conspecific eggs (n  =  13). Parasitized nests had more and higher trees in the vicinity than unparasitized nests and breeding habitat characteristics may explain the difference in egg discrimination abilities between Corn Buntings and other Old World Emberizinae.

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