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We documented brood parasitism by the poorly studied Large Hawk‐Cuckoo on a previously unknown host species, the Chinese Babax. Furthermore, we describe a new egg colour for the Large Hawk‐Cuckoo. The parasitism rate of Chinese Babax nests over 4 years was 6.9% (11 of 159 nests), with significant temporal variation. The Large Hawk‐Cuckoo laid immaculate white eggs that appeared non‐mimetic to the...
The intensity of selection exerted by brood parasites on their hosts depends on the proportion of nests that are parasitized and the fitness costs of parasitism. Nest detection by brood parasites influences the probability of parasitism, and we propose that the difficulty faced by brood parasites of finding nests on the ground may make ground‐nesting species subject to lower levels of parasitism,...
The begging behaviour of nestlings is part of a communication system by which nestlings solicit food from their parents. In the case of brood parasitic species, nestlings in the nests of host species could achieve appropriate begging calls through three different mechanisms: (1) mimicking the host species' begging calls, (2) emitting a begging call that stimulates a wide range of hosts or (3) tuning...
In recent decades, numerous studies have examined factors affecting risk of host nest parasitism in well‐known avian host–parasite systems; however, little attention has been paid to the role of host nest availability. In accordance with other studies, we found that nest visibility, reed density and timing of breeding predicted brood parasitism of Great Reed Warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus by the...
Hosts of brood‐parasitic birds typically evolve anti‐parasitism defences, including mobbing of parasitic intruders at the nest and the ability to recognize and reject foreign eggs from their clutches. The Greater Honeyguide Indicator indicator is a virulent brood parasite that punctures host eggs and kills host young, and accordingly, a common host, the Little Bee‐eater Merops pusillus frequently...
The loss of grasslands in southeastern South America has negatively affected grassland birds, leading to marked declines in their populations. However, the extent to which habitat transformation impacts on their reproductive performance, and whether the magnitude of these effects may be modulated by landscape matrices, is unknown. We assessed the effect of fragmentation on grassland bird reproduction...
Sensory mechanisms controlling avian clutch size have diversified into distinct types, according to the nature of the input that is used to disrupt the growth of ovarian follicles and hence halt egg‐laying. In an article on brood parasitism, Lyon (2003) claimed that female American Coots Fulica americana can reduce their clutch size on the basis of visual cues in response to eggs laid in their nests...
Given the high costs of brood parasitism, avian hosts have adopted different defences to counteract parasites by ejecting the foreign egg or by deserting the parasitized nest. These responses depend mainly on the relative size of the host compared with the parasitic egg. Small hosts must deal with an egg considerably larger than their own, so nest desertion becomes the only possible method of egg...
Young birds communicate their need to parents through complex begging displays that include visual and acoustic cues. Nestlings of interspecific brood parasites must ‘tune’ into these communication channels to secure parental care from their hosts. Various studies show that parasitic nestlings can effectively manipulate host parental behaviour through their begging calls, but how these manipulative...
Brood parasite–host interactions during the incubation and nestling stages have been well studied, but the post‐fledging period remains virtually unknown. Using radiotracking, we provide the first detailed data on post‐fledging interactions between the Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus and its only regular cavity‐nesting host, the Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus. Cuckoos raised alone (‘solitary’)...
Dozens of studies have documented that brood parasites are well adapted to a brood parasitic lifestyle but not all parasitism events are successful. Co‐evolution between brood parasites and their hosts is a dynamic process so it is reasonable to expect that a female brood parasite may commit errors during egg deposition by laying her eggs outside the laying period of the host, with consequent impacts...
Avian brood parasites pose a serious threat to 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 host, the Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus, influences the speed...
Social monogamy predominates in avian mating systems, but this strategy seems unlikely among brood parasites, where the emancipation from parental care should lead to an increase in numbers of mates for both sexes. Despite this, there is great diversity in mating systems in brood parasitic birds. The Screaming Cowbird Molothrus rufoaxillaris is a brood parasite that specializes almost exclusively...
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