Nest Defence By Yellow Warblers: Recognition of a Brood Parasite and an Avian Nest Predator

Behaviour ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 133 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 263-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon A. Gill ◽  
Spencer G. Sealy
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Nest Defence ◽  
Brood Parasite ◽  
Yellow Warbler ◽  
Nest Protection ◽  
Yellow Warblers ◽  
Avian Nest ◽  
Defensive Behaviours ◽  
And Control ◽  
Nest Predator

AbstractYellow warblers (Dendroica petechia) were exposed to taxidermic mounts of a brood parasite (brown-headed cowbird, Molothrus ater), avian nest predator (common grackle, Quiscalus quiscula) and control (fox sparrow, Passerella iliaca) during their laying and nestling stages to determine whether nest owners distinguish between the threats of brood parasitism and predation. Yellow warblers responded more intensely to the cowbird at the laying stage, performing two unique behaviours (seet calling and nest-protection behaviour) in response to this threat. By contrast, yellow warbler responses to the grackle were greater at the nestling stage, consisting largely of alarm calls (chip, metallic chip and warble calls). The sparrow model infrequently elicited aggressive behaviour from nest owners at either stage. These responses support the hypothesis that yellow warblers discriminate between threats of brood parasitism and nest predation. Yellow warblers may perform specific behaviours to cowbirds because defensive behaviours used against predators may be incompatible with cowbird deterrence. Female nest owners responded more frequently than males at the laying stage, and more intensely than males at both nesting stages. The distance that females and males approached the models and several aggressive behaviours were positively correlated. The greater responsiveness of females may be because they dominate their mates and because females are more experienced with intruders near the nest.

Tests of two functions of alarm calls given by yellow warblers during nest defence

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (10) ◽  
pp. 1685-1690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon A Gill ◽  
Spencer G Sealy
Keyword(s):  
Molothrus Ater ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Nest Defence ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Potential Danger ◽  
Dendroica Petechia ◽  
Yellow Warblers ◽  
Avian Nest ◽  
Nest Predators

During nest defence, yellow warblers (Dendroica petechia) give "seet" and "chip" calls. Seet calls are given preferentially toward brood parasitic brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) during the yellow warblers' egg-laying period, whereas chip calls are given toward mammalian and avian nest predators throughout the nesting period. In this study, we investigated two possible functions of seet and chip calls during nest defence by playing alarm calls to nesting yellow warblers. We tested whether nest owners give seet and chip calls during defence to alert their offspring and their mates about nest threats and, in the latter case, whether the alarm calls differ in function depending on nesting stage. In response to playbacks, nestlings remained inactive for a significantly longer period when chip calls were played than when seet calls were played. Female yellow warblers returned to their nesting areas more quickly when seet calls were played than when chip calls were played, but pairs were equally likely to return to the nesting area in response to both call types. These findings suggests that both seet and chip calls alert mates but that only chip calls function to alert nestlings of potential danger.

How small is too small? Incubation of large eggs by a small host

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (10) ◽  
pp. 968-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca L.M. Stewart ◽  
Mélanie F. Guigueno ◽  
Spencer G. Sealy
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Host Size ◽  
Nest Size ◽  
Brood Parasite ◽  
Turdus Migratorius ◽  
Yellow Warbler ◽  
American Robin ◽  
Yellow Warblers

The Yellow Warbler ( Setophaga petechia (L., 1766)) is among the putative hosts of the Black-billed Cuckoo ( Coccyzus erythropthalmus (Wilson, 1811)), which is hypothesized to have once been an obligate brood parasite. Most parasites lay a small egg relative to their body size, possibly to prevent hosts from discriminating against the larger egg and to facilitate incubation. We tested whether warblers, which lay eggs ~17% of the volume of cuckoo eggs, could have potentially been suitable hosts of Coccyzus cuckoos by determining whether they accept and successfully incubate cuckoo-sized eggs. Warblers accepted 63% (n = 54) of cuckoo-sized eggs added into their nests and successfully incubated eggs as large as cuckoo eggs (surrogate American Robin ( Turdus migratorius L., 1766) eggs). This suggests that the lower limit to host size is not just related to egg size. Warblers are not ideal hosts because they rejected a high frequency of experimental eggs (37%). Nests from which eggs were rejected tended to have smaller volumes than nests at which eggs were accepted. The nest cups of warblers are oval, which may promote egg crowding more than round cups. Factors such as nest size, not host size, influence acceptance or rejection of large eggs by Yellow Warblers.

scholarly journals Fast and furious: host aggression modulates behaviour of brood parasites

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Václav Jelínek ◽  
Michal Šulc ◽  
Gabriela Štětková ◽  
Marcel Honza
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Nest Defence ◽  
Great Reed Warbler ◽  
Acrocephalus Arundinaceus ◽  
Brood Parasite ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
The Common

ABSTRACTAvian brood parasites pose a serious threat for hosts, substantially reducing their fitness which selects for the evolution of host defences. A classic example of a host frontline defence is mobbing which frequently includes contact attacking of brood parasites. Here, we investigated how the nest defence of a very aggressive great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) host influences the speed of egg-laying and egg-removing behaviour of its brood parasite – the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). We video-recorded 168 brood parasitic events at 102 active host nests and found that cuckoos avoided host mobbing in only 62% of cases. If hosts spotted the cuckoo at their nests, they almost always attacked it (in 91 of 104 cases), however, such attacks only rarely and temporarily prevented cuckoos from parasitizing (11 additional cases). When attacked, cuckoos parasitized host nests significantly faster and left them immediately. However, when not attacked, cuckoos frequently stayed at or near the nest suggesting that host aggression, rather than the risk of being spotted, influences the speed of brood parasitism in this species. Further, we found that cuckoos performed egg-removing behaviour in all parasitic events without regard to host aggression. As a result, cuckoos removed at least one egg during all brood parasitism events except those when an egg slipped from their beaks and fell back into the nest (in 9 of 73 cases). This indicates that egg-removing behaviour is not costly for the common cuckoo and is an essential part of its parasitism strategy, widening understanding of this currently unexplained behaviour.

scholarly journals Eavesdropping on Referential Yellow Warbler Alarm Calls by Red-Winged Blackbirds Is Mediated by Brood Parasitism Risk

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelby L. Lawson ◽  
Janice K. Enos ◽  
Sharon A. Gill ◽  
Mark E. Hauber
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Molothrus Ater ◽  
Agelaius Phoeniceus ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Yellow Warbler ◽  
Incubation Stage ◽  
Yellow Warblers ◽  
Current Risk ◽  
Setophaga Petechia

Referential alarm calls that denote specific types of dangers are common across diverse vertebrate lineages. Different alarm calls can indicate a variety of threats, which often require specific actions to evade. Thus, to benefit from the call, listeners of referential alarm calls must be able to decode the signaled threat and respond to it in an appropriate manner. Yellow warblers (Setophaga petechia) produce referential “seet” calls that signal to conspecifics the presence of nearby obligate brood parasitic brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater), which lay their eggs in the nests of other species, including yellow warblers. Our previous playback experiments have found that red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), a species also parasitized by brown-headed cowbirds, eavesdrop upon and respond strongly to yellow warbler seet calls during the incubation stage of breeding with aggression similar to responses to both cowbird chatters and predator calls. To assess whether red-winged blackbird responses to seet calls vary with their own risk of brood parasitism, we presented the same playbacks during the nestling stage of breeding (when the risk of brood parasitism is lower than during incubation). As predicted, we found that blackbirds mediated their aggression toward both cowbird chatter calls and the warblers’ anti-parasitic referential alarm calls in parallel with the low current risk of brood parasitism during the nestling stage. These results further support that red-winged blackbirds flexibly respond to yellow warbler antiparasitic referential calls as a frontline defense against brood parasitism at their own nests.

Age-dependent costs of cowbird parasitism in Yellow Warblers (Setophaga petechia)

2013 ◽  
Vol 91 (7) ◽  
pp. 505-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.A. Rock ◽  
S.P. Quinlan ◽  
M. Martin ◽  
D.J. Green
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Molothrus Ater ◽  
Breeding Cycle ◽  
Yellow Warbler ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Annual Productivity ◽  
Yellow Warblers ◽  
Cowbird Parasitism ◽  
Breeding Attempt ◽  
Setophaga Petechia

Brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater (Boddaert, 1783)) often reduces the reproductive success of their hosts. We examined whether the ability of females to avoid or mitigate the costs of brood parasitism improved with age in a population of Yellow Warblers (Setophaga petechia (L., 1766)) breeding near Revelstoke, British Columbia, between 2004 and 2011. Cowbirds parasitized 18% of Yellow Warbler nesting attempts and females rejected 24% of parasitized nests, principally by deserting the nest and initiating a new breeding attempt. We found no evidence that older females were better at avoiding parasitism or more likely to reject parasitized nests than yearlings. On average, brood parasitism reduced clutch sizes by 0.8 eggs, had no effect on nest success, but reduced the number of young fledged from successful nests by 1.3 offspring. Despite age-related improvement in some measures of breeding performance, the costs of brood parasitism at each period of the breeding cycle did not vary with age. There was, however, some evidence, that brood parasitism reduced the annual productivity (total number of young fledged) of older females less than the annual productivity of yearlings suggesting that the cumulative costs of brood parasitism varied with age.

scholarly journals Threat recognition and response in an avian brood-parasite host from New Caledonia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfredo Attisano ◽  
Kasper Hlebowicz ◽  
Roman Gula ◽  
Jörn Theuerkauf
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Nest Predation ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Brood Parasite ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
New Caledonian Crow ◽  
Caledonian Crow ◽  
Threat Recognition ◽  
Recognition And Response ◽  
Nest Predator

Abstract Nest predation and avian brood parasitism are the main sources of nest failure in many passerine birds. Large predators threaten both brood and parents, whereas brood parasites pose only a danger to eggs or nestlings. The fan-tailed gerygone Gerygone flavolateralis from New Caledonia is subjected to high rates of nest predation by the New Caledonian crow Corvus moneduloides (responsible for about 20–40% of predation) and moderate rates of brood parasitism by the shining bronze-cuckoo Chalcites lucidus (parasitizing about 18% of nests), which also depredates nests that are too advanced for parasitism (13% of nests). To test if fan-tailed gerygones are able to discriminate predators from brood parasites, we presented 3 bird models at active gerygone nests: a brood parasite/small nest predator (shining bronze-cuckoo), a large nest predator (crow), and a small non-native bird (common chaffinch Fringilla coelebs), which is unknown to the gerygone, as a control. We assessed the response of adult gerygones to the presentation of each model by measuring the minimum approach distance, number of alarm calls, number of attacks, and time to first nest visit after the presentation (latency). Adult gerygones often attacked the cuckoo, approached but never attacked the chaffinch and always avoided the crow. Latency was shorter after an attack response and during brooding, but similar among models. We did not find any link between the cuckoo model presentation and later ejection of cuckoo nestlings. We conclude that adult fan-tailed gerygones discriminate between different models and respond accordingly to the level of threat, but do not show awareness of parasitism risk and increase of nestling ejection rates following exposure to the cuckoo model.

Does the intrusion of an avian nest predator elicit a change in the behaviour of a canopy-nesting passerine?

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Alexander R. Sharp ◽  
Kamal Islam
Keyword(s):  
Nest Defence ◽  
Cyanocitta Cristata ◽  
Potential Predator ◽  
Reduce Activity ◽  
Provisioning Rate ◽  
Avian Nest ◽  
Cerulean Warblers ◽  
Stage 1 ◽  
Nest Predator ◽  
Nest Predators

Abstract Many studies have shown that nest predators affect their prey indirectly by inducing changes in the behaviour of the prey. Studies suggest that the type and degree of nest defence strategies depends heavily on species, along with nest type and location. One such strategy, nest vigilance, allows individuals to collect information and make informed decisions based on their surroundings. In this study, we simulated the intrusion of a common avian nest predator (blue jay, Cyanocitta cristata) into the territory of nesting cerulean warblers (Setophaga cerulea) and evaluated eight different behavioural variables to determine their response to the nest predator. Female cerulean warblers were more vigilant on their nest when exposed to a potential predator compared to a nest with lower threat of predation. Females exposed to a nest predator increased incubation bout by 109% and brooding bout by 60%. Our data also suggest that male cerulean warblers reduce their provisioning rate during the early nestling stage (−1 feeding/hour) and late nestling stage (−3 feedings/hour), although more data are needed. Modification of incubation bout length and nestling provisioning rate are common strategies employed by songbirds to reduce activity around the nest, by decreasing detection opportunities of visually-oriented nest predators. Currently, the only understanding we have on how cerulean warblers respond to a nest predator is based on observational data. The results of this study provide the first evidence that cerulean warblers are able to identify species that pose a threat to the safety of their nest, and that they modify their behaviour to reduce nest detection by predators. The results of this study provide a better understanding of a relatively unknown aspect of the breeding behaviour of this species. This study is also first to describe how an open-cup, canopy-nesting species responds to an increase in nest predation threat.

Riparian habitat disturbed by reservoir management does not function as an ecological trap for the Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.P. Quinlan ◽  
D.J. Green
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Ecological Trap ◽  
Riparian Habitat ◽  
Yellow Warbler ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Selection Decisions ◽  
Yellow Warblers ◽  
Setophaga Petechia

Ecological traps arise when anthropogenic change creates habitat that appears suitable but when selected reduces the fitness of an individual. We evaluated whether riparian habitat within the drawdown zone of the Arrow Lakes Reservoir, British Columbia, creates an ecological trap for Yellow Warblers ( Setophaga petechia (L., 1766)) by investigating habitat preferences and the fitness consequences of habitat selection decisions. Preferences were inferred by examining how habitat variables influenced settlement order, and comparing habitat at nest sites and random locations. Males preferred to settle in territories with more riparian shrub and tree cover, higher shrub diversity, and less high canopy cover. Females built nests in taller shrubs surrounded by a greater density of shrub stems. Habitat preferences were positively associated with fitness: nest sites in taller shrubs surrounded by higher shrub-stem densities were more likely to avoid predation and fledge young, whereas territories with more riparian cover, higher shrub diversity, and less high canopy cover had higher annual productivity. We therefore found no evidence that riparian habitat affected by reservoir operations functions as an ecological trap. Current habitat selection decisions may be associated with fitness because Yellow Warblers are adapted to breeding in a heterogeneous environment subject to periodic flooding.

scholarly journals Arboreal aperitifs: Space use and activity of a major songbird nest predator in a tropical Thailand forest

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anji D’souza ◽  
George Gale ◽  
Benjamin Michael Marshall ◽  
Daphawan Khamcha ◽  
Surachit Waengsothorn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brownian Bridge ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Boiga Irregularis ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Avian Nest ◽  
Nest Predator ◽  
Nesting Season

ABSTRACTPredator-prey interactions are fundamental drivers of population dynamics, yet rarely are both predator and prey species simultaneously studied. Despite being significant, widespread avian nest predators, research on the ecology of Southeast Asian snakes in relation to birds remains scarce. The green cat snake (Boiga cyanea) is a primary nest predator, responsible for ≈24% of forest songbird depredation in Northeast Thailand. We explored both diurnal and nocturnal movements of 14 (5 male, 9 female) adult B. cyanea with radio-telemetry for an average of 68 ± 16 days per individual, between 21 October 2017 and 8 June 2019 in the dry evergreen forest of the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve (SBR). We quantified area of space use (ha) and activity through motion variance (Ϭm2) during the study period using dynamic Brownian bridge movement models, and linked our findings to a simultaneously-run avian nest monitoring study, initiated in 2013 within the same forest fragment. On average, movements, space use and activity differed between males and females, and between the avian nesting and non-nesting seasons. Males moved 51.37 m/day farther than females. They used areas 15.09 ha larger than females, and their activity was 3.91 Ϭm2 higher than that of females. In general, individuals moved 50.30 m/day farther during the nesting season than the non-nesting season. The snakes used areas 9.84 ha larger during the nesting season than the non-nesting season, and their activity during the nesting season was 3.24 Ϭm2 higher than that during the non-nesting season. All individuals were exclusively nocturnal, moving throughout the night, and often descending from higher diurnal refugia (>2 m) to forage closer to the ground after sunset. Boiga cyanea activity followed a similar trend to that of the recorded nest depredations at SBR. Our study links snake activity to nest depredations in SBR. Our openly-available data may yield further insight when combined with other major avian nest predator species like the congeneric invasive brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) on the island of Guam.

scholarly journals Brood parasitism in eusocial insects (Hymenoptera): role of host geographical range size and phylogeny

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1769) ◽  
pp. 20180203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jukka Suhonen ◽  
Jaakko J. Ilvonen ◽  
Tommi Nyman ◽  
Jouni Sorvari
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Geographical Range ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Brood Parasite ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Interspecific Brood Parasitism ◽  
Logistic Regressions

Interspecific brood parasitism is common in many animal systems. Brood parasites enter the nests of other species and divert host resources for producing their own offspring, which can lead to strong antagonistic parasite–host coevolution. Here, we look at commonalities among social insect species that are victims of brood parasites, and use phylogenetic data and information on geographical range size to predict which species are most probably to fall victims to brood parasites in the future. In our analyses, we focus on three eusocial hymenopteran groups and their brood parasites: (i) bumblebees, (ii) Myrmica ants, and (iii) vespine and polistine wasps. In these groups, some, but not all, species are parasitized by obligate workerless inquilines that only produce reproductive-caste descendants. We find phylogenetic signals for geographical range size and the presence of parasites in bumblebees, but not in ants and wasps. Phylogenetic logistic regressions indicate that the probability of being attacked by one or more brood parasite species increases with the size of the geographical range in bumblebees, but the effect is statistically only marginally significant in ants. However, non-phylogenetic logistic regressions suggest that bumblebee species with the largest geographical range sizes may have a lower likelihood of harbouring social parasites than do hosts with medium-sized ranges. Our results provide new insights into the ecology and evolution of host–social parasite systems, and indicate that host phylogeny and geographical range size can be used to predict threats posed by social parasites, as well to design efficient conservation measures for both hosts and their parasites. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern’.

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