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Common cuckoo females remove more conspicuous eggs during parasitism
Longwu Wang1, Yuhan Zhang1, Wei Liang2
1State Forestry Administration of China Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Conservation in Mountainous Areas of Southwest Karst, School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, People's Republic of China.
Royal Society Open Science
|February 22, 2021
Summary
Brood parasitic cuckoos avoid picking up camouflaged eggs. Cuckoos preferred to remove obvious white eggs, supporting the egg crypsis hypothesis for parasite egg protection.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Ornithology
Background:
- Avian brood parasites, like cuckoos, often remove host eggs.
- Parasitic cuckoos face competition from conspecifics at parasitized nests.
- Egg mimicry and crypsis are strategies to protect parasitic eggs from removal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of egg crypsis in preventing egg removal by conspecific brood parasites.
- To test the egg crypsis hypothesis in the context of common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) parasitism of Oriental reed warblers (Acrocephalus orientalis).
Main Methods:
- Experimental design with two groups of artificial eggs differing in crypsis levels.
- Observing common cuckoo behavior when laying eggs in nests containing experimental eggs.
- Analyzing whether cuckoos selectively removed eggs with lower crypsis.
Main Results:
- Common cuckoos significantly preferred to remove more conspicuous white model eggs.
- The results support the hypothesis that egg crypsis deters egg removal by parasitic cuckoos.
- Adequately hidden eggs are protected from removal by female cuckoos in open nests.
Conclusions:
- Egg crypsis is an effective strategy for brood parasites to protect their eggs from conspecific removal.
- This camouflage enhances the survival chances of parasitic eggs within host nests.
- The findings contribute to understanding the evolutionary arms race between brood parasites and their hosts.
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