Hawk mimicry and the evolution of polymorphic cuckoos

Thorogood, Rose; Davies, N. B.

doi:10.5122/cbirds.2013.0002

Cited by 43 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…However, this fascinating phenomenon remained virtually unstudied until recently [5,6,11,12]. Here, we extended this pioneering work by experimentally testing several hypotheses on cuckoo predator mimicry, including the first empirical test of the kestrel mimicry hypothesis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…This could indicate that the rufous cuckoo is a better predator imitator compared to the gray cuckoo and that kestrel mimicry (if it is indeed mimicry, see [12]) is more perfect than hawk mimicry. In light of the findings mentioned above, a more plausible explanation is that warblers discriminated better between the gray and rufous cuckoos and their respective models because gray cuckoos dominated the study area and thus hosts had more opportunities to learn (through direct experiences or social learning [6,26]) to discriminate between them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To date, only two experimental studies have focused on the phenomenon of adult parasite plumage polymorphism (for comparative studies see [4,11,12]). Honza et al [5] supported the hypothesis that the geographical variation in the abundance of gray vs. rufous cuckoo morph may affect host aggression, but did not provide a direct test of the predator mimicry hypothesis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Color plumage polymorphism and predator mimicry in brood parasites

Trnka

Grim

2013

Front Zool

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BackgroundPlumage polymorphism may evolve during coevolution between brood parasites and their hosts if rare morph(s), by contravening host search image, evade host recognition systems better than common variant(s). Females of the parasitic common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) are a classic example of discrete color polymorphism: gray females supposedly mimic the sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), while rufous females are believed to mimic the kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Despite many studies on host responses to adult cuckoos comprehensive tests of the “hawk mimicry” and “kestrel mimicry” hypotheses are lacking so far.ResultsWe tested these hypotheses by examining host responses to stuffed dummies of the sparrowhawk, kestrel, cuckoo and the innocuous turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) as a control at the nest. Our experimental data from an aggressive cuckoo host, the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), showed low effectiveness of cuckoo-predator mimicry against more aggressive hosts regardless of the type of model and the degree of perfection of the mimic. Specifically, warblers discriminated gray cuckoos from sparrowhawks but did not discriminate rufous cuckoos from kestrels. However, both gray and rufous cuckoos were attacked vigorously and much more than control doves. The ratio of aggression to gray vs. rufous cuckoo was very similar to the ratio between frequencies of gray vs. rufous cuckoo morphs in our study population.ConclusionsOverall, our data combined with previous results from other localities suggest polymorphism dynamics are not strongly affected by local predator model frequencies. Instead, hosts responses and discrimination abilities are proportional, other things being equal, to the frequency with which hosts encounter various cuckoo morphs near their nests. This suggests that female cuckoo polymorphism is a counter-adaptation to thwart a specific host adaptation, namely an ability to not be fooled by predator mimicry. We hypothesize the dangerousness of a particular model predator (sparrowhawks are more dangerous to adult birds than kestrels) may be another important factor responsible for better discrimination between the gray cuckoo and its model rather than between the rufous cuckoo and its model. We also provide a review of relevant existing literature, detailed discussion of plumage polymorphism in cuckoos, methodological recommendations and new ideas for future work.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Color plumage polymorphism and predator mimicry in brood parasites

Trnka

Grim

2013

Front Zool

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“…For the family Cuculidae, we obtained information on egg size and body size from published studies [24,28,29]. We also generated an index of hawk-like plumage by combining variables previously published in two different studies, specifically, presence of barring in the breast plumage, yellow eye ring, yellow legs, crest presence and presence of cryptic colours [24,28]. Additionally, we used the plates available in the Handbook of Birds of the World online [30] to quantify overall plumage coloration, using spectral measurements of museum specimens to validate our method (electronic supplementary material, Material and methods).…”

Section: Methods (A) Species Used and Traits Measuredmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…no crests or conspicuous colours), which are believed to mimic the morphology of hawks, as a means of intimidating hosts [23]. Selection for mimicry of sympatric hawk species has even been shown to give rise to plumage polymorphisms within cuckoo species [24]. If the traits mentioned above are host-specific and the adaptive value varies depending on which host is exploited, then we may expect increased phenotypic diversity and a change in the rates of evolution of these specific traits in brood parasitic lineages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coevolution is linked with phenotypic diversification but not speciation in avian brood parasites

Medina¹,

Langmore²

2015

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Coevolution is often invoked as an engine of biological diversity. Avian brood parasites and their hosts provide one of the best-known examples of coevolution. Brood parasites lay their eggs in the nests of other species, selecting for host defences and reciprocal counteradaptations in parasites. In theory, this arms race should promote increased rates of speciation and phenotypic evolution. Here, we use recently developed methods to test whether the three largest avian brood parasitic lineages show changes in rates of phenotypic diversity and speciation relative to non-parasitic lineages. Our results challenge the accepted paradigm, and show that there is little consistent evidence that lineages of brood parasites have higher speciation or extinction rates than non-parasitic species. However, we provide the first evidence that the evolution of brood parasitic behaviour may affect rates of evolution in morphological traits associated with parasitism. Specifically, egg size and the colour and pattern of plumage have evolved up to nine times faster in parasitic than in non-parasitic cuckoos. Moreover, cuckoo clades of parasitic species that are sympatric (and share similar host genera) exhibit higher rates of phenotypic evolution. This supports the idea that competition for hosts may be linked to the high phenotypic diversity found in parasitic cuckoos.

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