Errors in egg‐laying by female Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus in nests of its common host

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68081766%3A_____%2F20%3A00520628" target="_blank" >RIV/68081766:_____/20:00520628 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ibi.12808" target="_blank" >https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ibi.12808</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12808" target="_blank" >10.1111/ibi.12808</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Errors in egg‐laying by female Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus in nests of its common host

Original language description

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 on her fitness. Using an extensive dataset from a long‐term study, we evaluated egg‐laying patterns and errors related to the timing of egg‐laying in the Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus (hereafter ‘Cuckoo’). Specifically, we tested whether the Cuckoo avoids laying before or on the day of host clutch initiation to reduce the risk of rejection of parasitic eggs, whether laying errors will be more frequent in periods with a lack of active host nests, and whether the laying errors will be more frequent in periods with intense Cuckoo parasitism and a consequent lack of suitable host nests. We found that about one‐third of Cuckoo eggs were laid on the host clutch initiation day or 1 day before, and the percentage of Cuckoo eggs laid decreased thereafter. Surprisingly, the probability of Cuckoo egg acceptance by the hosts was not affected by the egg‐laying stage of the host clutch. Errors in the timing of egg‐laying with fatal consequences (i.e. those precluding Cuckoo hatching because of laying in incubated or deserted clutches) were recorded in about 5% of cases. Only laying date of a Cuckoo egg had a significant effect on the probability of errors, which increased during the breeding season. This may be related to the higher number of deserted and incubated host nests at the site at the end of the breeding season. Errors in egg‐laying may be attributed to young and inexperienced females but also impaired body condition or intraspecific competition may cause this behaviour. Future studies, which will test these possible explanations, will help to understand better the mechanism of co‐evolutionary arms races and differences between host specialist and generalist brood parasites in various host–parasite systems.

Czech name

—

Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10615 - Ornithology

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA17-12262S" target="_blank" >GA17-12262S: Reproductive strategies of an obligate brood parasite: host selection, offspring sex allocation and individual success</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2020

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Ibis

ISSN

0019-1019

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

162

Issue of the periodical within the volume

3

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

8

Pages from-to

637-644

UT code for WoS article

000507167300001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85077897584