Host response to cuckoo song is predicted by the future risk of brood parasitism
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Date
2013
Authors
Kleindorfer, Sonia Marie
Evans, Christine
Colombelli-Negrel, Diane
Robertson, Jeremy
Griggio, M
Hoi, Herbert
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BioMed Central
Rights
Copyright © Kleindorfer et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2013
Rights Holder
The Authors.
Abstract
Introduction: Risk assessment occurs over different temporal and spatial scales and is selected for when individuals
show an adaptive response to a threat. Here, we test if birds respond to the threat of brood parasitism using the
acoustical cues of brood parasites in the absence of visual stimuli. We broadcast the playback of song of three
brood parasites (Chalcites cuckoo species) and a sympatric non-parasite (striated thornbill, Acanthiza lineata) in the
territories of superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus) during the peak breeding period and opportunistic breeding
period. The three cuckoo species differ in brood parasite prevalence and the probability of detection by the host,
which we used to rank the risk of parasitism (high risk, moderate risk, low risk).
Results: Host birds showed the strongest response to the threat of cuckoo parasitism in accordance with the risk
of parasitism. Resident wrens had many alarm calls and close and rapid approach to the playback speaker that was
broadcasting song of the high risk brood parasite (Horsfield’s bronze-cuckoo, C. basalis) across the year (peak and
opportunistic breeding period), some response to the moderate risk brood parasite (shining bronze-cuckoo, C.
lucidus) during the peak breeding period, and the weakest response to the low risk brood parasite (little bronzecuckoo,
C. minutillus). Playback of the familiar control stimulus in wren territories evoked the least response.
Conclusion: Host response to the threat of cuckoo parasitism was assessed using vocal cues of the cuckoo and
was predicted by the risk of future parasitism.
Description
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords
Cuckoo recognition, Cuckoo threat, Risk perception, Experience, Song discrimination, Deterrent behaviour
Citation
Kleindorfer et al.: Host response to cuckoo song is predicted by the future risk of brood parasitism. Frontiers in Zoology 2013 10:30.