Cuckoo adaptations: trickery and tuning

The cuckoldry conundrum

Concerns about cuckoldry are a dominant theme in evolutionary studies of mating, frequently used to explain sex differences in reproductive strategies. However, studies in nonhuman species have shown that cuckoldry can be associated with important benefits. These insights have not been well integrated with the human literature, which continues to focus on anticuckoldry tactics and negative repercussions for men. I evaluate two key assumptions central to human models of cuckoldry: (1) men are being tricked into investing in nonbiological offspring and (2) investment in nonbiological offspring is wasted. The ethnographic data on fatherhood shows that the concepts of pater and genitor are complex and locally constructed ideas that often include explicit knowledge of extra-pair paternity, countering the idea that nonpaternity results from trickery. Furthermore, rather than being a "waste," paternity loss can be associated with important gains for men, helping to explain why men invest in nonbiological offspring.

Three sympatric host nestlings eavesdrop on cuckoo nestling distress calls

In predator-prey interactions, the prey faces extreme challenges from predation, which drives the evolution of defense or anti-predator mechanisms. Compared with adult birds, nestlings are more vulnerable but not helpless. However, data on whether nestlings eavesdrop on the danger signals transmitted by other prey nestlings and the mechanisms of eavesdropping remain limited. In brood parasitism, common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) nestlings, raised by host adults who are not closely related, offer an instructive system for studying the transmission and recognition of danger signals among nestlings of different species that share special relationships. We played back the distress calls of common cuckoo nestlings to nestlings of three sympatric host species (the oriental reed warbler Acrocephalus orientalis, which is a primary host of the common cuckoo, the reed parrotbill Paradoxornis heudei, an occasional host, and the vinous-throated parrotbill Sinosuthora webbiana, which is not parasitized in the study area) to investigate whether the host nestlings reduced their begging behavior. We also quantified the degree of inhibition toward begging behavior for these nestlings. The results revealed that, in response to the distress calls, the three sympatric host species markedly suppressed their begging behavior. This response can likely be attributed to the innate response of host nestlings caused by the general characteristics of distress calls, rather than the acoustic similarity and phylogenetic relationship between host nestlings and cuckoo nestlings. Furthermore, we observed that upon hearing the distress calls of cuckoo nestlings, the oriental reed warbler nestlings exhibited the greatest reduction in the total number of calls compared to the other two host species, potentially owing to stronger predation and parasitic pressures. This study suggests that host nestlings can detect danger signals emitted by parasitic nestlings; however, further investigation is needed to determine whether they can respond to distress calls from unfamiliar nestlings in different regions.

Dynamics of evolutionary succession and coordination between opposite adaptations in cuckoo hosts under antagonistic coevolution

Adaptations are driven by specific natural selection pressures throughout biological evolution. However, these cannot inherently align with future shifts in selection dynamics, thus manifesting in opposing directions. We performed field experiments on cuckoo hosts to investigate the coexistence and conflict between two evolutionarily successive but opposing behavioral adaptations-egg retrieval and rejection. Our findings provide key insights. (1) Egg rejection against brood parasites in hosts reshapes egg retrieval to flexible reactions-retrieval, ignoring, or outright rejection of foreign eggs outside the nest cup, departing from instinctual retrieval. (2) Parasitism pressure and egg mimicry by parasites remarkably alter the proportions of the three host reactions. Host species with higher parasitism pressure exhibit frequent and rapid rejection of non-mimetic foreign eggs and reduced ignoring or retrieval responses. Conversely, heightened egg mimicry enhances retrieval behaviors while diminishing ignoring responses. (3) Cuckoos employ consistent mechanisms for rejecting foreign eggs inside or outside the nest cup. Direct rejection of eggs outside the nest cup shows that rejection precedes retrieval, indicating prioritization of specific adaptation over instinct. (4) Cuckoo hosts navigate the conflict between the intentions and motivations associated with egg rejection and retrieval by ignoring foreign eggs, a specific outcome of the rejection-retrieval tradeoff.

Nest architecture influences host use by avian brood parasites and is shaped by coevolutionary dynamics

Brood (social) parasites and their hosts exhibit a wide range of adaptations and counter-adaptations as part of their ongoing coevolutionary arms races. Obligate avian brood parasites are expected to use potential host species with more easily accessible nests, while potential hosts are expected to evade parasitism by building more concealed nests that are difficult for parasites to enter and in which to lay eggs. We used phylogenetically informed comparative analyses, a global database of the world's brood parasites, their host species, and the design of avian host and non-host nests (approx. 6200 bird species) to examine first, whether parasites preferentially target host species that build open nests and, second, whether host species that build enclosed nests are more likely to be targeted by specialist parasites. We found that species building more accessible nests are more likely to serve as hosts, while host species with some of the more inaccessible nests are targeted by more specialist brood parasites. Furthermore, evolutionary-transition analyses demonstrate that host species building enclosed nests frequently evolve to become non-hosts. We conclude that nest architecture and the accessibility of nests for parasitism represent a critical stage of the ongoing coevolutionary arms race between avian brood parasites and their hosts.

Eggshell colour differences in a classic example of coevolved eggshell mimicry

Avian brood parasitism is a model system for understanding coevolutionary arms races, and the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus, hereafter 'warbler') and its parasite the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus, hereafter 'cuckoo') are prime examples of this coevolutionary struggle. Here, warblers select for egg colour mimicry by rejecting poorly matched cuckoo eggs. Contrary to long-held assumptions, recent work showed that warblers tend to reject lighter and browner eggs but tended to accept darker and bluer eggs rather than basing rejection decisions solely on perceived colour differences (i.e. the degree of mimicry). This counterintuitive, colour-biased rejection behaviour would select for bluer and darker cuckoo eggs, but would only be adaptive if cuckoos were consistently lighter and browner than warbler eggs. Therefore, we tested whether warbler eggs were consistently bluer and darker than cuckoo eggs. To do so, we re-analysed eggshell reflectance spectra of warblers and the cuckoos that parasitized them in the Czech Republic. As expected, we found that warbler eggs were significantly bluer and darker than the cuckoo eggs at the population level. Thus, we demonstrate imperfect mimicry in a long-coevolved cuckoo host-race and provide insights for exploring the coevolutionary interactions among hosts and their brood parasites.

Brood parasitism and egg recognition in three bunting hosts of the cuckoos

Comparative studies of egg recognition and rejection between various sympatric hosts provide insight into the coevolutionary history of the hosts and parasites, as well as the degree of antagonism between the species. Although buntings are widely considered to be a suitable host taxon for cuckoos, there has been relatively little research on this example of parasitism and host antiparasitic behaviour. Here we provided the first report on brood parasitism and egg recognition in three sympatric ground-nesting bunting hosts of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), namely the yellow-throated bunting (Emberiza elegans), south rock bunting (E. yunnanensis), and crested bunting (E. lathami). The results show that for the five breeding seasons during 2018-2022, the parasitism rate by common cuckoos was 0.87% and 0.45% in yellow-throated buntings and south rock buntings, respectively, whereas the parasitism rate by an unidentified parasite was 4% during 2018-2023 in the crested bunting. The rejection rates of the three bunting hosts for blue non-mimetic eggs were 89.3%, 88.9%, and 100% for yellow-throated buntings, south rock buntings, and crested buntings, respectively. The rejection rates for red non-mimetic eggs by yellow-throated buntings and south rock buntings were lower at 76.9% and 82.4%, respectively. All three sympatric bunting hosts examined had high levels of egg recognition and egg rejection, suggesting that it may have been subjected to high parasitic history and that egg recognition ability was retained after the loss of parasitism, which needs to be further verified by future experiments.

Evolutionary Origins and Patterns of Diversification in Animal Brood Parasitism

AbstractBrood parasitism involves the exploitation of host parental care rather than the extraction of resources directly from hosts. We identify defining characteristics of this strategy and consider its position along continua with adjacent behaviors but focus on canonical brood parasites, where parasitism is obligate and hosts are noneusocial (thereby distinguishing from social parasitism). A systematic literature survey revealed 59 independently derived brood parasitic lineages with most origins (49) in insects, particularly among bees and wasps, and other origins in birds (seven) and fish (three). Insects account for more than 98% of brood parasitic species, with much of that diversity reflecting ancient (≥100-million-year-old) brood parasitic lineages. Brood parasites usually, but not always, evolve from forms that show parental care. In insects, brood parasitism often first evolves through exploitation of a closely related species, following Emery's rule, but this is less typical in birds, which we discuss. We conducted lineage-level comparisons between brood parasitic clades and their sister groups, finding mixed results but an overall neutral to negative effect of brood parasitism on species richness and diversification. Our review of brood parasites reveals many unanswered questions requiring new research, including further modeling of the coevolutionary dynamics of brood parasites and their hosts.

Host manipulation by parasites through the lens of Niche Construction Theory

The effect of parasites on host behaviour is generally considered an example of the extended phenotype, implying that parasite genes alter host behaviour to benefit the parasite. While the extended phenotype is a valid perspective supported by empirical examples, this approach was proposed from an evolutionary perspective and it does not fully explain all processes that occur at ecological time scales. For instance, the roles of the ontogenetic environment, memory and learning in forming the host phenotype are not explicitly mentioned. Furthermore, the cumulative effect of diverse populations or communities of parasites on host phenotype cannot be attributed to a particular genotype, much less to a particular gene. Building on the idea that the behaviour of a host is the result of a complex process, which certainly goes beyond a specific parasite gene, we use Niche Construction Theory to describe certain systems that are not generally the main focus in the extended phenotype (EP) model. We introduce three niche construction models with corresponding empirical examples that capture the diversity and complexity of host-parasite interactions, providing predictions that simpler models cannot generate. We hope that this novel perspective will inspire further research on the topic, given the impact of ecological factors on both short-, and long-term effects of parasitism.

Defense behavior of two closely related but geographically distant host species against cuckoo parasitism: A next test for the parallel coevolution

Interactions between avian brood parasites, such as common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus), and their hosts are one of the best-studied examples of the coevolutionary arms race. Different stages of this arms race can be seen in different races of common cuckoos and their hosts across their range. However, little is known whether selected populations of two closely related but geographically distant species with probably different coevolutionary histories with the common cuckoo are also at different stages of the arms race. In this study, we tested this prediction experimentally using the same non-mimetic model eggs and three-dimensional (3D) printed models of the gray adult common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). We examined egg recognition and egg rejection and aggression against the common cuckoo in the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) and Oriental reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis), in Slovakia of Europe and northeast China of Asia. The results showed that the great reed warbler exhibited stronger responses to experimental model eggs and 3D models of the common cuckoo than the Oriental reed warbler. We conclude that both the great reed warbler and Oriental reed warbler have well-developed antiparasitic behaviors against common cuckoos in the studied populations, but with different levels of defense intensity, which may be due to local differences in parasitic pressure and the risk of parasitism. This provides an opportunity to study coevolutionary processes between the brood parasite and its hosts together in both species at large geographical scales.

Revealing the roles of egg darkness and nest similarity for a cryptic parasite egg versus host's cognition: an alternate coevolutionary trajectory

As a text-book example of coevolution, the escalating interactions between egg mimicry by parasitic cuckoos and egg recognition by their hosts constitute a key battlefield for parasitism and anti-parasitism strategies. However, some parasite-host systems have deviated from this coevolutionary trajectory because some cuckoos do not lay mimetic eggs, while the hosts do not recognize them, even under the high costs of parasitism. The cryptic egg hypothesis was proposed to explain this puzzle, but the evidence to date is mixed and the relationship between the two components of egg crypticity, egg darkness (dim egg coloration) and nest similarity (similarity to host nest appearance), remains unknown. Here, we developed a 'field psychophysics' experimental design to dissect these components while controlling for undesired confounding factors. Our results clearly show that both egg darkness and nest similarity of cryptic eggs affect recognition by hosts, and egg darkness plays a more influential role than nest similarity. This study provides unambiguous evidence to resolve the puzzle of absent mimicry and recognition in cuckoo-host systems and explains why some cuckoo eggs were more likely to evolve dim coloration rather than similarity to host eggs or host nests.

Experimental evidence that cuckoos choose host nests following an egg matching strategy

The arms race between brood parasites and their hosts provides a classic model to study coevolution. Hosts often reject the parasitic egg, and brood parasites should therefore select host nests in which the colour of the eggs best matches that of their own. Although this hypothesis has received some support, direct experimental evidence is still lacking. Here, we report on a study of Daurian redstarts, which show a distinct egg-colour dimorphism, with females laying either blue or pink eggs. Redstarts are often parasitized by common cuckoos, which lay light blue eggs. First, we showed that cuckoo eggs were more similar in spectral reflectance to the blue than to the pink redstart egg morph. Second, we report that the natural parasitism rate was higher in blue than in pink host clutches. Third, we performed a field experiment in which we presented a dummy clutch of each colour morph adjacent to active redstart nests. In this set-up, cuckoos almost always chose to parasitize a blue clutch. Our results demonstrate that cuckoos actively choose redstart nests in which the egg colour matches the colour of their own eggs. Our study thus provides direct experimental evidence in support of the egg matching hypothesis.

Red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio) versus common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus): An example of ineffective cuckoo-hawk mimicry

The red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio) used to be one of the most common hosts of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). Nevertheless, during the last 30 years, there is increasing evidence from Central Europe that the occurrence of cuckoo chicks in shrike nests has become scarcer, and that in some locations they have disappeared completely. Multiple hypotheses have been suggested to explain this abandonment. Here, we test the hypothesis that shrikes vigorously attack adult cuckoos, potentially resulting in ineffective parasitism. Adult common cuckoos resemble in appearance the Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), a common predator of small passerines. One hypothesis presumes that the cuckoo has evolved this mimicry to avoid attack by small passerines when searching for their nests. Our results show that shrikes defending their nests attacked cuckoos very vigorously, more often, and more intensively than they did sparrowhawks. In the presence of a sparrowhawk dummy, parent shrikes only produced alarm calls and flew over the dummy. This suggests that cuckoo-hawk mimicry is ineffective in the case of shrikes and that they attack them much more often than they do any other presented intruder. Therefore, this activity could possibly result in the abandonment of shrikes as potential hosts for cuckoos.

Egg Rejection and Nest Sanitation in an Island Population of Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica): Probability, Response Latency, and Sex Effects

Simple Summary

Most birds build nests for laying eggs and rearing their offspring. They frequently clean their nests by removing foreign objects, such as leaves, small branches, stones, and feces. Further, some birds recognize and remove foreign eggs deposited by brood parasites. Nest sanitation and egg rejection are related behaviors as both impact brood survival and involve an accept/reject decision regarding the content of the nest. Here, we examined these behaviors in barn swallows (Hirundo rustica), one of the most abundant and widespread birds in the world. The results suggest that nest sanitation may be a more ancient behavior because it occurs more frequently, and foreign objects were removed sooner upon discovery than egg rejection. Therefore, nest sanitation may constitute an evolutionary precursor to foreign egg rejection; however, nest sanitation rarely increases egg rejection regarding probability and response latency. Female and male swallows engaged in nest sanitation and egg rejection, implying that both sexes are affected by this type of natural selection.

Abstract

Bird nests function as vessels for eggs and nestlings, and an environment for rearing offspring. However, foreign objects falling into bird nests and nestling eggshells may be harmful. Moreover, the smell of fecal sacs increases the risk of detection by predators. Many bird species have evolved nest sanitation to prevent damage to their nests. Furthermore, egg rejection evolved in some birds to thwart brood parasites that lay eggs in their nests. We studied 133 nests of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) in an island population through a nest content manipulation experiment to determine nest sanitation and egg rejection behaviors and their relationship. Swallows rejected non-egg foreign objects more frequently (100% vs. 58.6%) and sooner than parasite eggs, which supports the hypothesis that nest sanitation is a pre-adaptation to egg rejection. However, nest sanitation did not increase egg rejection, either in probability or latency. Furthermore, both sexes incubated the eggs, cleaned the nests, and removed parasite eggs, implying that both are confronted with natural selection related to nest sanitation and brood parasitism. However, females invested more time in these behaviors than males. This provides evidence for the evolutionary relationship of nest sanitation and egg rejection behaviors in barn swallows.

Empirical evidence of coevolution between the channel-billed cuckoo and its host, the pied currawong

Avian obligate brood parasites and their hosts exhibit coevolution, where parasites respond to the evolution of host defences with counter-adaptations, such as egg mimicry, which can then lead to the evolution of more efficient host defences. Using objective measurements and avian visual modelling, we quantified the degree of similarity between the eggs of the channel-billed cuckoo (Scythrops novaehollandiae) and the eggs of three host species from the hosts’ visual perspective. We found no evidence that this cuckoo species has host-specific egg types, but it does appear to mimic one of its primary hosts, the pied currawong (Strepera graculina), in both colour and pattern. Currawongs showed significantly higher interclutch variation in colour and luminance than the other two hosts and had significantly lower intraclutch variation in pattern than interclutch variation. High interclutch and low intraclutch variation in a host could make it more difficult for a cuckoo to match closely any particular host clutch, potentially allowing a host to detect a parasitic egg more easily. This is the first empirical study using objective measurements to quantify the degree of egg mimicry in the channel-billed cuckoo and the results suggest a potential host defence to egg mimicry that merits further investigation.

Female Cuckoo Calls Deceive Their Hosts by Evoking Nest-Leaving Behavior: Variation under Different Levels of Parasitism

Simple Summary

Obligate brood parasite birds such as the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) can trick their hosts via a variety of means. Cuckoos are threats to the host nests but not to the host adults themselves. To successfully parasitize the host nests, female cuckoos have been hypothesized to distract the hosts’ attention from their nests by mimicking the calls of sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus), a predator of the hosts. We performed playback experiments in two populations of the host oriental reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis) that have experienced different levels of parasitic pressure. We found that female cuckoo calls evoked both populations of the hosts to leave their nests more frequently than did the calls of male cuckoos or doves that do not pose threats to the hosts. This indicated that the call of the female cuckoo functions to deceive the host and thus favors host brood parasitism. However, we propose that such a deceiving effect of the female cuckoo call is due to the rapid cadence of the call rather than sparrowhawk mimicry.

Abstract

The common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is an obligate brood parasite that has evolved a series of strategies to trick its hosts. The female cuckoo has been hypothesized to mimic the appearance and sounds of several raptors to deceive the hosts into exhibiting anti-predator behavior. Such behavior would relax the protection of the host nest and thus allow the female cuckoo to approach the host nest unopposed. Many anti-parasite strategies have been found to vary among geographical populations due to different parasitic pressures from cuckoos. However, the effect of female cuckoo calls related to different levels of parasitic pressure has not been examined. Here, we studied the effect of female cuckoo calls on the oriental reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis), one of the major hosts of the common cuckoo, in two geographical populations experiencing different levels of parasite pressure. Four kinds of sounds were played back to the hosts: the calls from female common cuckoos, male common cuckoos, sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus), and oriental turtle doves (Streptopelia orientalis). The results showed that the female cuckoo calls induced the hosts to leave their nests more frequently than the male cuckoo or dove calls in both populations, and two populations of the hosts reacted similarly to the female cuckoo calls, implying that the function of female cuckoo calls would not be affected by the difference in parasitism rate. This study indicates that female cuckoo calls function to distract the hosts’ attention from protecting their nests. However, we propose that such a deception by the female cuckoo call may not be due to the mimicry of sparrowhawk calls, but rather that the rapid cadence of the call that causes a sense of anxiety in the hosts.

The overlooked complexity of avian brood parasite-host relationships

The relationships between avian brood parasites and their hosts are widely recognised as model systems for studying coevolution. However, while most brood parasites are known to parasitise multiple species of host and hosts are often subject to parasitism by multiple brood parasite species, the examination of multispecies interactions remains rare. Here, we compile data on all known brood parasite-host relationships and find that complex brood parasite-host systems, where multiple species of brood parasites and hosts coexist and interact, are globally commonplace. By examining patterns of past research, we outline the disparity between patterns of network complexity and past research emphases and discuss factors that may be associated with these patterns. Drawing on insights gained from other systems that have embraced a multispecies framework, we highlight the potential benefits of considering brood parasite-host interactions as ecological networks and brood parasitism as a model system for studying multispecies interactions. Overall, our results provide new insights into the diversity of these relationships, highlight the stark mismatch between past research efforts and global patterns of network complexity, and draw attention to the opportunities that more complex arrangements offer for examining how species interactions shape global patterns of biodiversity.

Egg rejection based on egg size recognition as a specific strategy against parasitic cuckoos

In the co-evolutionary interactions between avian brood parasites and their hosts, egg recognition based on color and/or pattern is a common and effective defense to counter parasitism. However, for egg recognition based on size, only a few studies have found affirmative results, and they do not provide unambiguous evidence that egg size recognition in hosts has evolved as an important and specific anti-parasite adaptation against parasite eggs. We studied the brood parasite system between the Asian emerald cuckoo Chrysococcyx maculatus and its host, the chestnut-crowned warbler Phylloscopus castaniceps. The cuckoo parasitizes the warbler using non-mimetic and larger eggs with a parasitism rate of 12.9%. The warbler nests used in this experiment were built in a dark environment with the nest illuminance near 0 lux. Experiments with two types of model eggs with colors and patterns resembling cuckoo eggs different sizes (cuckoo egg size or host egg size) showed that the warblers were able to reject 63.6% of cuckoo model eggs under these dim light conditions. However, model eggs with the same color and pattern similar to the warbler egg size were always accepted. This study provides strong evidence supporting the theory that egg size recognition can be evolve in hosts as a specific anti-parasite adaptation against cuckoos. We suggest that the egg size recognition of the warbler is an outcome of the tradeoff between the costs of violating the parental investment rule and suffering cuckoo parasitism.

Individual experience as a key to success for the cuckoo catfish brood parasitism

Brood parasites are involved in coevolutionary arms races with their hosts, whereby adaptations of one partner elicit the rapid evolution of counter-adaptations in the other partner. Hosts can also mitigate fitness costs of brood parasitism by learning from individual or social experience. In brood parasites, however, the role of learning can be obscured by their stealthy behaviour. Cuckoo catfish (Synodontis multipunctatus) parasitise clutches of mouthbrooding cichlids in Lake Tanganyika and are the only non-avian obligate brood parasites among vertebrates. We experimentally demonstrate that cuckoo catfish greatly enhance their efficiency in parasitising their hosts as they learn to overcome host defences. With increasing experience, cuckoo catfish increased their parasitism success by greater efficiency through improved timing and coordination of intrusions of host spawnings. Hence, within the coevolutionary arms races, brood parasites learn to overcome host defences during their lifetime.

The importance of learning for brood parasites is explored using cuckoo catfish. The catfish increase their parasitism success as they gain experience, mainly by improving their social coordination and timing of intrusions to cichlid host spawnings.

Common Cuckoo Nestling Adapts Its Begging Behavior to the Alarm Signaling System of a Host

Cuckoo nestlings thrive as avian brood parasites. To acquire sufficient food from the host parents, cuckoo nestlings generally make louder begging calls than host nestlings, but this may cause them to be more likely to attract the attention of predators. Studies have shown that nestlings would respond to the alarm calls of their parents by begging less, or crouching and remaining silent as an adaptation to reduce the risk of being heard by predators. Nevertheless, research is lacking on how parasite nestlings respond to alarm calls of their host parents. We studied the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) and one of the most common cuckoo host species, the oriental reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis), using a playback experiment in Yongnianwa National Wetland Park during the breeding seasons from June to July, 2020–2021. The begging behaviors of either cuckoo or host nestlings were quantified by playing back the alarm calls of host adults toward common cuckoo, sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), or oriental turtle doves (Streptopelia orientalis). Meanwhile, normal begging without playback, playback of the natural singing (NS) of host adults, and background noise (BN) were included as behavioral reference, non-threatening comparison, and playback control, respectively. The results showed that the cuckoo and host nestlings produced similar levels of begging with or without playback of NS and BN; however, both types of nestlings inhibited their begging intensity after hearing the playback of alarm calls, although they did not respond differently to the various alarm call playbacks. This study therefore elucidated that coevolution has selected the common cuckoo nestlings that adapt their begging behavior to the parent–offspring communication of alarm signaling in their host, oriental reed warblers.

Defensive adaptations to cuckoo parasitism in the black-browed reed warbler (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps): recognition and mechanism

Hosts of avian brood parasites suffer a high cost of reproductive loss due to parasitism, driving them to evolve a variety of anti-parasitic defenses. These defenses comprise a series of components, including the recognition of brood parasites and the eggs laid by the parasites, cues used for recognition, and the mechanisms on which these behaviors are based. In this study, we conducted egg recognition and nest intruder experiments to examine these components of anti-parasitic behavior in the black-browed reed warbler (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps), a rare host of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). We found that the host possessed strong recognition capacity, rejecting 100% of parasitic eggs, and used a template-based mechanism for egg recognition. The host birds also rejected 80% of their own eggs on which artificial markings were added to the blunt pole; however, they accepted all eggs with the same manipulation on the sharp pole, implying that the blunt pole was an important recognition cue. Furthermore, the host exhibited stronger aggression to cuckoos than to harmless controls; a behavior specific to the incubation stage rather than the nestling stage. Therefore, the host was able to distinguish the cuckoo from other nest intruders as being a brood parasite. These results together help explain the near absence of cuckoo parasitism in black-browed reed warblers and provide new information concerning anti-parasitic defenses in this host species.

Tricking Parents: A Review of Mechanisms and Signals of Host Manipulation by Brood-Parasitic Young

Obligate avian brood parasites depend entirely on heterospecific hosts for rearing their offspring. From hatching until independence, the young parasites must deal with the challenge of obtaining sufficient parental care from foster parents that are attuned to provisioning their own offspring. Parent-offspring communication is mediated by complex begging displays in which nestlings and fledglings exhibit visual (e.g., gaping and postures) and vocal (e.g., begging calls) traits that serve as signals to parents to adjust and allocate parental effort. Parasites can manipulate host parental behavior by exploiting these stable parent-offspring communication systems in their favor. During the past 30 years, the study of host exploitation by parasitic chicks has yielded important insights into the function and evolution of manipulative signals in brood parasites. However, despite these major advances, there are still important gaps in our knowledge about how parasitic nestling and fledglings tune into the host’s communication channels and the adaptive value of the visual and acoustic signals they exhibit. Here we review the literature pertaining to host manipulation by parasitic young, focusing on four non-mutually exclusive mechanisms (i.e., host chick mimicry, begging exaggeration, host-attuned begging calls, and sensory exploitation) and the function and evolution of the signals involved, with the aim to summarize and discuss putative adaptations for stimulating parental feeding and escaping host discrimination. Finally, we bring some concluding remarks and suggest directions for future research on the ways in which brood parasites adapt to the communication systems of other birds to exploit the necessary parental care.

Imperfect mimicry of host begging calls by a brood parasitic cuckoo: a cue for nestling rejection by hosts?

Coevolutionary interactions between avian brood parasites and their hosts often lead to the evolution of discrimination and rejection of parasite eggs or chicks by hosts based on visual cues, and the evolution of visual mimicry of host eggs or chicks by brood parasites. Hosts may also base rejection of brood parasite nestlings on vocal cues, which would in turn select for mimicry of host begging calls in brood parasite chicks. In cuckoos that exploit multiple hosts with different begging calls, call structure may be plastic, allowing nestlings to modify their calls to match those of their various hosts, or fixed, in which case we would predict either imperfect mimicry or divergence of the species into host-specific lineages. In our study of the little bronze-cuckoo (LBC) Chalcites minutillus and its primary host, the large-billed gerygone Gerygone magnirostris, we tested whether: (1) hosts use nestling vocalizations as a cue to discriminate cuckoo chicks; (2) cuckoo nestlings mimic the host begging calls throughout the nestling period; and (3) the cuckoo begging calls are plastic, thereby facilitating mimicry of the calls of different hosts. We found that the begging calls of LBCs are most similar to their gerygone hosts shortly after hatching (when rejection by hosts typically occurs) but become less similar as cuckoo chicks get older. Begging call structure may be used as a cue for rejection by hosts, and these results are consistent with gerygone defenses selecting for age-specific vocal mimicry in cuckoo chicks. We found no evidence that LBC begging calls were plastic.

Coevolution between Himalayan cuckoos and 2 sympatric Pycnonotidae hosts

Selection due to cuckoo parasitism is responsible for the evolution of anti-parasitism defenses in hosts. Different host species breeding sympatrically with a single parasitic cuckoo may evolve different strategies to reduce the risk of counter cuckoo parasitism, resulting in different interactions between cuckoos and hosts in areas of sympatry. Here, we studied the coevolutionary interactions between Himalayan cuckoos Cuculus saturatus and 2 sympatric and closely related potential hosts belonging to the family Pycnonotidae, the brown-breasted bulbul Pycnonotus xanthorrhous and the collared finchbill Spizixos semitorques. We investigated parasitism rates and nest-site selection (nest height, nest cover, human disturbance, perch height, forest distance, and degree of concealment) related to parasitism risk, nest defense against a cuckoo dummy, and egg rejection against cuckoo model eggs. Bulbuls used specific nest sites that were further away from forests than those of finchbills, and they behaved more aggressively toward cuckoos than finchbills. In contrast, bulbuls possessed moderate egg rejection ability, whereas the finchbill rejected 100% of cuckoo model eggs. We suggest that selection of a nest site away from forests by the bulbul explains the absence of parasitism by Himalayan cuckoos. We suggest that these interspecific differences in nest-site selection and nest defense indicate alternative responses to selection due to cuckoos.

The ghosts of parasitism past: lingering frontline anti-brood parasite defenses in a former host

Coevolutionary arms races between brood parasites and hosts provide tractable systems for understanding antagonistic coevolution in nature; however, little is known about the fate of frontline antiparasite defenses when the host “wins” the coevolutionary arms race. By recreating bygone species interactions, using artificial parasitism experiments, lingering defensive behaviors that evolved in the context of parasitism can be understood and may even be used to identify the unknown agent of parasitism past. Here we present the first study of this type by evaluating lingering “frontline” nest defenses that have evolved to prevent egg laying in a former brood parasite host. The Australian reed warbler Acrocephalus australis is currently not parasitized but is known to exhibit fine-tuned egg discrimination—a defensive behavior indicative of a past brood parasite–host arms race and common in closely related parasitized species. Here, using 3D-printed models of adult brood parasites, we examined whether the Australian reed warbler also exhibits frontline defenses to adult brood parasites, and whether we could use these defenses to identify the warbler’s “ghost of parasitism past.” Our findings provide evidence that the Australian reed warbler readily engages in frontline defenses that are considered adaptive specifically in the context of brood parasitism. However, individuals were unable to discriminate between adults of different brood parasite species at their nest. Overall, our results demonstrate that despite a relaxation in selection, defenses against brood parasitism can be maintained across multiple stages of the host’s nesting cycle, and further suggest that, in accordance with previous findings, that learning may be important for fine-tuning frontline defense.

Decoupled Acoustic and Visual Components in the Multimodal Signals of the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

Because of its parasitic habits, reproduction costs of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) are mostly spent in pre-laying activities. Female costs are limited to searching host nests and laying eggs, whereas, males spend time in performing intense vocal displays, possibly with territorial purpose. This last aspect, together with a sexual plumage dimorphism, points to both intra- and inter-sexual selections operating within this species. One element triggering sexual selection is a differential fitness accrued by different phenotypes. Before analyzing possible sexual selection mechanisms operating in cuckoos, it is therefore necessary to verify whether there is a variability among male secondary characters by describing and quantifying them. Here we aimed to quantitatively characterize the main two potential candidates of sexual selection traits, i.e., calls and displays, shown by males at perches. During the 2019 breeding season, in a site within the Po Plain, we both audio and video recorded cuckoo males at five different perches. We analyzed acoustic variables as well as display sequences searching for potential correlations. We found a significant variation among calls that could be clustered into four vocal types. We also found that no visual displays were associated with vocal displays; cuckoo males were either vocal and motionless or soundless and active. We discuss our results under the perspective of the potential value of sexual selection in brood parasites and its role in its parasitic habit.

The Evolution of Predator Resemblance in Avian Brood Parasites

Predators have profound effects on prey behavior and some adult brood parasites use predator resemblance to exploit the antipredator defenses of their hosts. Clarifying host perception of such stimuli is important for understanding the adaptive significance of adult brood parasite characteristics, and the mechanisms by which they misdirect hosts. Here I review the literature to explore the adaptive basis of predator resemblance in avian brood parasites, and natural variation in host responses to these stimuli. I also provide a framework for the information ecology of predator resemblance, which is based on the principles of signal detection theory and draws from empirical evidence from the common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, as the most widely studied system. In this species, visual and acoustic hawk-like stimuli are effective in manipulating host defenses. Overall, contrasts across host responses suggest that different modalities of information can have independent effects on hosts, and that predator resemblance takes advantage of multiple sensory and cognitive processes. Host perception of these stimuli and the degree to which they are processed in an integrated manner, and the physiological processes underlying regulation of the responses, present new avenues for brood parasitism research.

Persistent fine-tuning of egg rejection based on parasitic timing in a cuckoo host even after relaxation of parasitism pressure

Egg rejection is one of the most effective defenses to avoid avian brood parasites by hosts, and reflects avian cognition during parasite-host coevolution. However, egg rejection varies with different populations and species, or under different contexts. Here we studied the egg recognition behavior in a non-parasitized population of the red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus), which has been recorded as a host of the banded bay cuckoo (Cacomantis sonneratii). By comparing its egg rejection frequency and latency between egg-laying and egg-incubation stages with a variety of nest ages, which represent different costs of cuckoo parasitism, the results show that the hosts rejected parasite eggs more frequently in the egg-laying stage than in the egg-incubation stage without a difference in latency, and accepted parasite eggs with an increase of nest age. These findings indicated that the hosts are able to adjust the intensity of their anti-parasitic responses according to the parasitic timing. A relaxation of parasitism risk and the tradeoff between parasitism risk and egg rejection cost may contribute to explaining our results.

Analysis of Egg Variation and Foreign Egg Rejection in Rüppell’s Weaver (Ploceus galbula)

Egg appearance is notable for its variation and as a source of recognition cues in bird species that are subject to egg-mimicking brood parasitism. Here I analyze the egg appearance of an East African weaverbird species that has variable eggs and is a host of brood parasitism by an egg-mimicking cuckoo, in order to (1) compare population variation to variation within a clutch as a measure of the distinctiveness of eggs; (2) assess modularity versus correlation among egg appearance traits as an indication of the complexity of egg signatures; and (3) address whether the eggs are discretely polymorphic or continuously variable in appearance. I also compare three methods of assessing egg coloration: reduction of spectral data to orthogonal components, targeted spectral shape variables, and avian visual modeling. Then I report the results of egg replacement experiments that assess the relationship between egg rejection behavior and the difference in appearance between own and foreign eggs. Rüppell’s weaver (Ploceus galbula) eggs are variable in appearance between individuals and consistent within a clutch, but vary widely in the distinctiveness of particular traits. Most aspects of color and spotting are decoupled from each other, including coloration likely to derive from different pigments. Egg ground color is bimodal, with a broad continuous class of off-white/UV eggs and another broad class of blue-green eggs. Variation in all other traits is unimodal and usually normal in distribution. Females reject foreign eggs on the basis of the difference in brightness of the ground color and spotting of foreign eggs relative to their own, and the difference in degree to which spots are aggregated at the broad end of the egg. This aggregation is among the most distinctive features of their eggs, but the brightness of the ground color and spotting brightness are not; the birds’ use of brightness rather than the more distinctive chromatic variation to recognize eggs might reflect the salience of achromatic contrast in a dim enclosed nest.

Behavioral and Acoustic Responses of the Oriental Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis), at Egg and Nestling Stages, to the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

Cuckoo nest parasites lay eggs in host nests and thereby transfer all reproduction costs to the hosts. This greatly reduces host fitness. Parasitism has selected for the evolution of anti-parasitic strategies in hosts, including nest defense. The dynamic risk assessment hypothesis holds that nest parasitism only threatens the nests during the egg stage, so hosts should reduce the level of defense against nest parasites after the egg stage. We studied the behavioral and acoustic responses of oriental reed warblers (Acrocephalus orientalis), during both the egg and nestling stages, toward the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) and oriental turtle doves (Streptopelia orientalis). A. orientalis can visually distinguish cuckoos from sparrowhawks and doves, indicating that hawk mimicry did not work for the cuckoos. The behavioral response of hosts in the nestling stage was stronger than in the egg stage, which supports the offspring value hypothesis and suggests that cuckoos may also act as nest predators. However, there was no difference in the alarm calls A. orientalis produce in response to different invaders, indicating that different types of alarm calls may not contain specific information.

Cryptic eggs are rejected less frequently by a cuckoo host

Obligate brood parasitism is associated with huge reproduction costs, forcing hosts to evolve various anti-parasitic strategies against brood parasites, among which egg recognition and rejection is the most effective defense strategy. According to the crypsis hypothesis, non-mimetic yet cryptic eggs in a nest can also deceive their hosts and eventually be accepted. To validate this hypothesis, we conducted field experiments on Oriental reed warblers (Acrocephalus orientalis), a common host for common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus). We firstly tested the egg recognition and rejection abilities of Oriental reed warblers, using black and white model eggs in natural nests. Then we designed a comparison test where the cryptic effects of the two groups of experimental eggs were different. We manipulated the nest lining color and added relatively cryptic and bright model eggs to test warblers' rejection behaviors against cryptic and bright foreign eggs. The results showed that warblers have strong egg recognition and rejection abilities. There is a significant tendency for warblers to prefer to peck and reject relatively distinguishable foreign eggs, which supports the crypsis hypothesis. These findings indicate that even in the host-parasite system of open nests, parasitic eggs that are cryptic enough are prevented from being discovered and rejected by the host, and thus obtain the possibility of successful parasitism.

Developmental asynchrony and host species identity predict variability in nestling growth of an obligate brood parasite: a test of the “growth-tuning” hypothesis

Generalist obligate brood parasites are excellent models for studies of developmental plasticity, as they experience a range of social and environmental variation when raised by one of their many hosts. Parasitic Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater (Boddaert, 1783)) exhibit host-specific growth rates, yet Cowbird growth rates are not predicted by hosts’ incubation or brooding periods. We tested the novel “growth-tuning” hypothesis which predicts that total asynchrony between Cowbirds’ and hosts’ nesting periods results in faster parasitic growth in nests where host young fledge earlier than Cowbirds. We tested this prediction using previously published and newly added nestling mass data across diverse host species. Total nesting period asynchrony (summed across incubation and brooding stages) predicted Cowbird growth; 8-day-old Cowbirds were heavier in host nests with relatively shorter nesting periods. We further explored the drivers of variation in growth using mass measurements of Cowbirds in Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia (A. Wilson, 1810)) and Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766)) nests. Our top models included host species (Cowbirds grew faster in Sparrow nests), numbers of nestmates (slowest when raised alone), and sex (males grew faster). These results confirm that multiple social and environmental factors predict directional patterns of developmental plasticity in avian generalist brood parasites.

Common cuckoo females remove more conspicuous eggs during parasitism

Avian obligate brood parasites gain an advantage by removing the eggs of the cuckoos who have already visited the nest, which can increase the chances of survival for their offspring. Conversely, to prevent their eggs from being picked up by the next parasitic cuckoo, they need to take some precautions. Egg mimicry and egg crypsis are two alternative strategies to prevent the parasitized egg from being picked up by another parasitic cuckoo. Here, we tested whether the egg crypsis hypothesis has a preventative effect when common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) parasitize their Oriental reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis) hosts. We designed two experimental groups with different crypsis effects to induce common cuckoos to lay eggs and observed whether the cuckoos selectively picked up the experimental eggs with low crypsis levels in the process of parasitism. Our results supported the egg crypsis hypothesis; the observed cuckoos significantly preferred to select the more obvious white model eggs. This shows that even in an open nest, eggs that are adequately hidden can also be protected from being picked up by cuckoo females during parasitism so as to increase the survival chance of their own parasitic eggs.

Specific responses of cuckoo hosts to different alarm signals according to breeding stage: a test of the offspring value hypothesis

The selective pressure exerted by avian brood parasites forces their hosts to evolve specific defense strategies. When subject to brood parasite attack, avian hosts will often emit alarm calls. To date, few studies have examined whether and how host responses to different alarm calls indicative of different enemies vary with the host's breeding stage. We carried out alarm call playback experiments during both the egg and nestling stages of the oriental reed warbler Acrocephalus orientalis, a host of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus. The playback exemplars were selected from recorded alarm calls of the warbler to the presence of common cuckoos, sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus, and oriental turtle doves Streptopelia orientalis, which represented brood parasite, predator, and harmless control, respectively. The results showed that the oriental reed warblers did not discriminate alarm calls issued to different intruder types, but the intensity of the response was significantly higher in the nestling stage than in the egg stage. Attack behavior related to sparrowhawk alarm calls was absent in the egg stage, but aggressive behavior increased dramatically and exceeded the attack frequency in response to the cuckoo alarm call in the nestling stage, implying a shift in the tradeoff between the parents' own survival and the loss of offspring. Alarm calls attracted a larger number of conspecifics than members of other species. In general, the oriental reed warbler had consistently stronger responses to different alarm calls in the nestling stage than in the egg stage, supporting the offspring value hypothesis.

The gut microbiota of brood parasite and host nestlings reared within the same environment: disentangling genetic and environmental effects

Gut microbiota are essential for host health and survival, but we are still far from understanding the processes involved in shaping their composition and evolution. Controlled experimental work under lab conditions as well as human studies pointed at environmental factors (i.e., diet) as the main determinant of the microbiota with little evidence of genetic effects, while comparative interspecific studies detected significant phylogenetic effects. Different species, however, also differ in diet, feeding behavior, and environmental characteristics of habitats, all of which also vary interspecifically, and, therefore, can potentially explain most of the detected phylogenetic patterns. Here, we take advantage of the reproductive strategy of avian brood parasites and investigate gut microbiotas (esophageal (food and saliva) and intestinal) of great spotted cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) and magpie (Pica pica) nestlings that grow in the same nests. We also estimated diet received by each nestling and explored its association with gut microbiota characteristics. Although esophageal microbiota of magpies and great spotted cuckoos raised within the same environment (nest) did not vary, the microbiota of cloacal samples showed clear interspecific differences. Moreover, diet of great spotted cuckoo and magpie nestlings explained the microbiota composition of esophageal samples, but not of cloaca samples. These results strongly suggest a genetic component determining the intestinal microbiota of host and parasitic bird species, indicating that interspecific differences in gut morphology and physiology are responsible for such interspecific differences.

Contrasting effects of egg size and appearance on egg recognition and rejection response by Oriental reed warblers

Background

Among potential hosts, the rejection of foreign eggs, which is a common and effective strategy to counter brood parasitism, depends on egg recognition. Multimodal and multicomponent recognition cues of brood parasitic eggs, which include both tactile (size, shape, and texture) and visual (size, shape, color, and maculation) cues, are potentially involved in the perception and discrimination of foreign eggs by hosts. An egg rejection experiment on the host with different types of model eggs can help to accurately assess the relative contribution of different components on egg recognition and constraints to rejection, in which videos can help identify the method of host rejection.

Methods

Here, we assessed egg recognition and rejection responses by Oriental reed warblers (Acrocephalus orientalis), one of the most common hosts of common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) which breed in eastern China. We designed six groups of model eggs for rejection experiments in which sensory cues included three grades of size and two categories of visual mimicry.

Results

Our experiments confirmed that the multimodal traits, which included variation in size, were significant predictors of egg rejection: We detected significantly higher rejection rates of mimetic spotted model eggs than of nonmimetic blue eggs. However, large model eggs did not yield higher rejection rates and, instead, these were less likely to be rejected and more likely to be deserted compared with smaller eggs. Further video‐recording data showed that there was no significant effect of egg size on the egg recognition rate (percentage of nests with evidence of egg pecking). No evidence that the egg appearance had an effect on the method of egg rejection (ejection or nest desertion) was found.

Conclusions

Only visual signals, such as color and maculation, contributed to the recognition of foreign eggs by Oriental reed warblers as recognizable clues, but not the egg size. The egg size had an impact on the type of egg rejection. It was less feasible for the warblers to eject large eggs and that is why they opted more often for desertion as the mean of model egg rejection. The significantly lower egg rejection rate of large eggs suggested that although some of them were recognized as foreign eggs, hosts failed to reject these eggs and finally the eggs were assumed to being accepted by the commonly used nest‐checking methods.

From micro- to macroevolution: brood parasitism as a driver of phenotypic diversity in birds

A fundamental question in biology is how diversity evolves and why some clades are more diverse than others. Phenotypic diversity has often been shown to result from morphological adaptation to different habitats. The role of behavioral interactions as a driver of broadscale phenotypic diversity has received comparatively less attention. Behavioral interactions, however, are a key agent of natural selection. Antagonistic behavioral interactions with predators or with parasites can have significant fitness consequences, and hence act as strong evolutionary forces on the phenotype of species, ultimately generating diversity between species of both victims and exploiters. Avian obligate brood parasites lay their eggs in the nests of other species, their hosts, and this behavioral interaction between hosts and parasites is often considered one of the best examples of coevolution in the natural world. In this review, we use the coevolution between brood parasites and their hosts to illustrate the potential of behavioral interactions to drive evolution of phenotypic diversity at different taxonomic scales. We provide a bridge between behavioral ecology and macroevolution by describing how this interaction has increased avian phenotypic diversity not only in the brood parasitic clades but also in their hosts.

Egg recognition and brain size in a cuckoo host

The evolution of animal brain size and cognitive ability is a topic of central significance in evolutionary ecology. Interspecific brood parasitism imposes severe selection pressures on hosts favoring the evolution of cuckoo egg recognition and rejection. However, recognizing and rejecting foreign parasitic eggs are enormous cognitive challenges for cuckoo hosts, which might select for an increase in brain size in birds with this capacity. To explore the association between cuckoo parasitism and the evolution of brain size in cinereous tits (Parus cinereus), we used two types of experimental parasitic eggs, real mimetic white-rumped munia (Lonchura striata) eggs and non-mimetic blue model eggs, to test the egg recognition ability of female cinereous tits, thereby comparing brain size variation among individuals that were able to recognize foreign eggs and those that lacked this ability. Interestingly, our results however did not support the prediction that cuckoo parasitism selects for an increase in brain size of host birds, since brain size of egg rejecters was not significantly larger than that of accepters. Hence, this study suggested that the evolution of cognitive ability did not allow recognition of foreign eggs by female cinereous tits. That was the case despite the evolution of a larger brain may have allowed for a reduction in the cost of brood parasitism by cuckoos.

Egg polymorphism and highly sensitive egg recognition of cross-phenotypes in rufescent prinias Prinia rufescens as effective defenses against brood parasitism

Whether escalating egg polymorphism increases the efficiency to reduce the fitness costs of brood parasitism is not supported by empirical studies. Rufescent prinias (Prinia rufescens) laying tetramorphic eggs are highly sensitive to conspecific foreign eggs with different phenotypes that they reject perfectly at 100%, and suffer only 1.4% of plaintive cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) parasitism. Our study provided empirical evidence showing that escalation of egg polymorphism in hosts increases their fitness because it reduces successful cuckoo parasitism rate.

Cuckoos use host egg number to choose host nests for parasitism

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.

Female and male rufous horneros eject shiny cowbird eggs using a mental template of the size of their own eggs

Hosts of interspecific brood parasites often evolve antiparasitic defences, like the recognition and rejection of parasite's eggs. Most hosts use differences in coloration and maculation to discriminate between their own and parasitic eggs, but there are a few cases of hosts using the size of eggs as a cue. To recognize parasite eggs, hosts may require the presence of their own eggs and use a discordancy rule or may use a mental template of their own eggs. Females are responsible for egg rejection in hosts in which they incubate alone, but if incubation is shared, males can also reject parasitic eggs. The rufous hornero, Furnarius rufus, a host of the shiny cowbird Molothrus bonariensis, ejects parasite eggs using egg size as a cue. We studied the cognitive mechanism underlying the recognition and ejection of parasitic eggs by this host. We experimentally parasitized hornero nests with eggs of different size, with and without the presence of host eggs and determined which sex was responsible for the ejection. We found that horneros ejected parasitic eggs using the size of the egg as a cue and did not need to compare parasitic eggs with their own eggs, which is consistent with the hypothesis of a mental template. Females and males ejected eggs at similar frequencies. We also found that cowbird eggs laid in hornero nests were longer and wider than those laid in nests of other host in the same area, which is consistent with the hypothesis of host-specific female cowbird lineages evolving larger eggs to deceit horneros from recognizing and ejecting their eggs.

Model eggs fail to detect egg recognition in host populations after brood parasitism is relaxed

Background

Obligate brood parasites exert strong selective pressure on target hosts. In response, hosts typically evolve anti-parasitism strategies, of which egg recognition is one of the most efficient. Generally, host egg-recognition capacity is determined using model eggs. Previous studies have shown that some host species, which are capable of detecting parasite eggs, do not reject model eggs. However, it is unknown that whether the reaction to model eggs varies among distinct populations of the same host in relation to the degree of parasitism pressure.

Results

Here, we compared the rejection frequencies of model eggs and real eggs between mainland and island populations of the plain prinia (Prinia inornata), which are respectively sympatric and allopatric with their brood parasite, the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). Our results indicated that the mainland and island populations rejected real eggs at similar rates, but rejected model eggs, which were similar in size to real eggs but heavier, at significantly different rates: the island population rejected fewer model eggs, possibly because the rejection motivation of this population was lower due to absence of parasitism.

Conclusions

Our results indicated that some factors affecting the decision to reject, such as rejection motivation, varied according to the degree of parasitism pressure, and thus influenced the frequency of egg rejection. Furthermore, our results suggested that model eggs should be used with caution in comparative studies of egg recognition abilities among species or populations subjected to different intensities of brood parasitism. That is, model eggs may fail to accurately detect egg recognition in host populations with little to no risk of parasitism.

Evolutionarily stable investments in recognition systems explain patterns of discrimination failure and success

Many animals are able to perform recognition feats that astound us-such as a rodent recognizing kin it has never met. Yet in other contexts, animals appear clueless as when reed warblers rear cuckoo chicks that bear no resemblance to their own species. Failures of recognition when it would seem adaptive have been especially puzzling. Here, we present a simple tug-of-war game theory model examining how individuals should optimally invest in affecting the accuracy of discrimination between desirable and undesirable recipients. In the game, discriminating individuals (operators) and desirable and undesirable recipients (targets and mimics, respectively) can all invest effort into their own preferred outcome. We demonstrate that stable inaccurate recognition will arise when undesirable recipients have large fitness gains from inaccurate recognition relative to the pay-offs that the other two parties receive from accurate recognition. The probability of accurate recognition is often determined by just the relative pay-offs to the desirable and undesirable recipients, rather than to the discriminator. Our results provide a new lens on long-standing puzzles including a lack of nepotism in social insect colonies, tolerance of brood parasites and male birds caring for extra-pair young in their nests, which our model suggests should often lack accurate discrimination. This article is part of the theme issue 'Signal detection theory in recognition systems: from evolving models to experimental tests'.

Do swallows (Hirundo daurica) use the visual cue of hatchling down-feathers to discriminate parasite alien nestlings?

Egg recognition is a variable but common anti-parasitism defense among different species of birds with brood parasites. In contrast, nestling recognition is rare. Very few studies have found nestling recognition in brood parasite hosts and determined the rejection mechanism behind this behavior. Hosts may use the number of hatchling down-feathers to reject parasite nestlings. We tested whether hatchling down-feathers is a visual cue for the red-rumped swallow, a host that can recognize and reject parasite nestlings. Our results indicated that red-rumped swallows do not recognize foreign nestlings based on hatchling down-feathers. The closed nest structure and hatchling morph may explain the absence of such a mechanism. None of the rejection mechanisms found in previous studies could explain the nestling recognition in swallows. Olfactory cues, tactile cues, or other visual cues, except for single nestling or hatchling down-feathers, may provide nestling recognition in red-rumped swallows. More study is needed to evaluate these possibilities.

Spatial variation in egg polymorphism among cuckoo hosts across 4 continents

Although egg color polymorphism has evolved as an effective defensive adaptation to brood parasitism, spatial variations in egg color polymorphism remain poorly characterized. Here, we investigated egg polymorphism in 647 host species (68 families and 231 genera) parasitized by 41 species of Old Word cuckoos (1 family and 11 genera) across Asia, Europe, Africa, and Australia. The diversity of parasitic cuckoos differs among continents, reflecting the continent-specific intensities of parasitic selection pressure on hosts. Therefore, host egg polymorphism is expected to evolve more frequently on continents with higher cuckoo diversity. We identified egg polymorphism in 24.1% of all host species and 47.6% of all host families. The common cuckoo Cuculus canorus utilized 184 hosts (28.4% of all host species). Hosts of the common cuckoo and of Chrysococcyx species were more likely to have polymorphic eggs than hosts parasitized by other cuckoos. Both the number of host species and the host families targeted by the cuckoo species were positively correlated with the frequency of host egg polymorphism. Most host species and most hosts exhibiting egg color polymorphism were located in Asia and Africa. Host egg polymorphism was observed less frequently in Australia and Europe. Our results also suggested that egg polymorphism tends to occur more frequently in hosts that are utilized by several cuckoo species or by generalist cuckoo species. We suggest that selection pressure on hosts from a given continent increases proportionally to the number of cuckoo species, and that this selection pressure may, in turn, favor the evolution of host egg polymorphism.

Convergent evolution of reduced eggshell conductance in avian brood parasites

Brood parasitism has evolved independently in several bird lineages, giving rise to strikingly similar behavioural adaptations that suggest convergent evolution. By comparison, convergence of physiological traits that optimize this breeding strategy has received much less attention, yet these species share many similar physiological traits that optimize this breeding strategy. Eggshell structure is important for embryonic development as it controls the flux of metabolic gases, such as O₂, CO₂ and H₂O, into and out of the egg; in particular, water vapour conductance ( G_H2O) is an essential process for optimal development of the embryo. Previous work has shown that common cuckoos ( Cuculus canorus) have a lower than expected eggshell G_H2O compared with their hosts. Here, we sought to test whether this is a trait found in other independently evolved avian brood parasites, and therefore reflects a general adaptation to a parasitic lifestyle. We analysed G_H2O for seven species of brood parasites from four unique lineages as well as for their hosts, and combined this with species from the literature. We found lower than expected G_H2O among all our observed brood parasites both compared with hosts (except for brown-headed cowbirds ( Molothrus ater)) and compared with the expected rates given their phylogenetic positions. These findings suggest that a lowered G_H2O may be a general adaptation for brood parasitism, perhaps helping the parasite nestling to develop greater aerobic fitness. This article is part of the theme issue 'The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern'.

Higher-level pattern features provide additional information to birds when recognizing and rejecting parasitic eggs

Despite a recent explosion of research on pattern recognition, in both neuroscience and computer vision, we lack a basic understanding of how most animals perceive and respond to patterns in the wild. Avian brood parasites and their hosts provide an ideal study system for investigating the mechanisms of pattern recognition. The cuckoo finch, Anomalospiza imberbis, and its host the tawny-flanked prinia, Prinia subflava, lay highly polymorphic eggs with a great deal of variation in colour and patterning, with the cuckoo finch capable of close egg mimicry. Behavioural experiments in Zambia have previously shown that prinias use colour and multiple 'low-level' (occurring in early stages of visual processing) pattern attributes, derived from spatial frequency analysis, when rejecting foreign eggs. Here, we explore the extent to which host birds might also use 'higher-level' pattern attributes, derived from a feature detection algorithm, to make rejection decisions. Using a SIFT-based pattern recognition algorithm, NaturePatternMatch, we show that hosts are more likely to reject a foreign egg if its higher-level pattern features-which capture information about the shape and orientation of markings-differ from those of the host eggs. A revised statistical model explains about 37% variance in egg rejection behaviour, and differences in colour, low-level and higher-level pattern features all predict rejection, accounting for 42, 44 and 14% of the explained variance, respectively. Thus, higher-level pattern features provide a small but measurable improvement to the original model and may be especially useful when colour and low-level pattern features provide hosts with little information. Understanding the relative importance of low- and higher-level pattern features is a valuable goal for future work on animal coloration, especially in the contexts of mimicry, camouflage and individual recognition. This article is part of the theme issue 'The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern'.