Do rufous common cuckoo females indeed mimic a predator? An experimental test

Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F61989592%3A15310%2F15%3A33157581" target="_blank" >RIV/61989592:15310/15:33157581 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bij.12570/full" target="_blank" >http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bij.12570/full</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bij.12570" target="_blank" >10.1111/bij.12570</a>

Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Do rufous common cuckoo females indeed mimic a predator? An experimental test
Original language description
The similarity of common cuckoos Cuculus canorus to raptors is accepted as a classic example of predator mimicry. However, cuckoo females are polymorphic: grey females are similar to sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus, while rufous females were assumed to mimic kestrels Falco tinnunculus. Previous evidence based on dummy experiments with grey females consistently showed that both hosts and non-hosts recognize this brood parasite by its yellow eye and barred underparts. However, these traits are absent in kestrels. Host responses also do not covary geographically with local abundance of supposed models (sparrowhawks/kestrels). These patterns cast doubts on the kestrel-mimicry hypothesis. Here, we show experimentally for the first time that small birds that are unsuitable as hosts indeed do not mistake rufous cuckoos for kestrels: both tree sparrows Passer montanus and house sparrows P. domesticus feared grey cuckoos (similarly to sparrowhawks and kestrels) but ignored rufous cuckoos (similarl
Czech name
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Czech description
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Type
J<sub>x</sub> - Unclassified - Peer-reviewed scientific article (Jimp, Jsc and Jost)
CEP classification
EG - Zoology
OECD FORD branch
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Project
<a href="/en/project/GAP506%2F12%2F2404" target="_blank" >GAP506/12/2404: Host-parasite interaction as an extreme form of parent-offspring conflict</a><br>
Continuities
I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year
2015
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

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