Beobachtungen über den Kuckuck bei Leipzig aus dem Jahre 1894

Rey, E.

doi:10.1007/bf02209281

Cited by 4 publications

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“…His evidence for this was the damage to the nest entrance, which suggested that the cuckoo has attempted to press itself into the host's nest. Despite this, Eugène Rey, who wrote a book on the cuckoo (Rey 1892), stated in Journal fu¨r Ornithologie (Rey 1894) that the cuckoo lays on the ground, and transports the egg in its bill, citing as 'proof' the fact that a cuckoo egg in the nest of a Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio was smeared with clay. The idea that cuckoos could parasitise species with enclosed nests only by placing eggs in the nests with its bill was perpetrated by Baker (1913Baker ( , 1923.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Reproductive biology of the European Cuckoo Cuculus canorus: early insights, persistent errors and the acquisition of knowledge

2008

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The brood parasitic habits of the European Cuckoo Cuculus canorus have excited wonder, disbelief and speculation since the fourth century BC. Accurate knowledge of cuckoo biology, however, accumulated only slowly and mostly since 1700. The aim of this study is to review six main topics: (1) the placement of cuckoo eggs in host nests; (2) cuckoo 'clutch' size; (3) cuckoo egg characteristics, mimicry and rejection; (4) choice of hosts; (5) eviction of eggs and chicks; and (6) the reasons why cuckoos are brood parasites and are incapable of rearing their own young. Early errors in reporting cuckoo biology were often a consequence of poor or incomplete observations leading to erroneous interpretations. Many of the early observers were egg collectors who focussed almost exclusively on the egg-laying period, thus ignoring cuckoo chick biology. Major landmarks in cuckoo studies included the facts that: (1) cuckoo eggs often resembled those of their hosts (1760s) and that this mimicry was adaptive (1850s); (2) hosts sometimes evicted cuckoo eggs (1770s);(3) female cuckoos laid individually distinctive eggs and that specific cuckoo gentes may exist (1850s); and (4) although well recognised that cuckoo chicks were reared alone, prior to Jenner's work in the 1780s female cuckoo parents were thought to either eat or evict the host eggs or young. Jenner's results was more readily accepted in Britain than in Germany. Between 1700 and 1859, cuckoo brood parasitism was difficult to reconcile with the prevalent conceptual framework of physico-theology (later known as the argument from design). Thereafter, Darwin's idea of natural selection provided a superior conceptual framework, which in conjunction with experimental testing of specific hypotheses has continued to advance our understanding of brood parasitism. Our knowledge of cuckoo biology is far from complete, however, and we predict that continuing research often incorporating new technologies will refine and extend our understanding of the cuckoo's extraordinary biology.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%