EGG DISCRIMINATION IN THE YELLOWHAMMER

The Condor ◽  
10.1650/7365 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr Procházka ◽  
Marcel Honza
Keyword(s):  
Egg Discrimination

Evidence of Conspecific Nest Parasitism and Egg Discrimination in the Sora

The Condor ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 819-821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Sorenson
Keyword(s):  
Nest Parasitism ◽  
Egg Discrimination

scholarly journals UV reflectance as a cue in egg discrimination in twoPriniaspecies exploited differently by brood parasites in Taiwan

Ibis ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 155 (3) ◽  
pp. 571-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Canchao Yang ◽  
Longwu Wang ◽  
Yu-Cheng Hsu ◽  
Anton Antonov ◽  
Arne Moksnes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Egg Discrimination ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
Uv Reflectance

scholarly journals Coevolutionary Interactions Between Common Cuckoos and Corn Buntings

The Condor ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 414-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Antonov ◽  
Bård G. Stokke ◽  
Arne Moksnes ◽  
Eivin RØskaft
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Considerable Proportion ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Egg Discrimination ◽  
Old World ◽  
Corn Bunting ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Bulgarian Population ◽  
Reed Bunting

Abstract Although Old World buntings (Emberizinae) may be considered suitable Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) hosts, there is at present no evidence that any of the European species are regularly parasitized. Most historical parasitism records refer to the Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) and Reed Bunting (E. schoeniclus). Both of these species reject almost 100% of experimentally added nonmimetic eggs, and also a considerable proportion of experimentally added conspecific eggs, showing exquisite egg discrimination abilities. In this paper, we report Common Cuckoo parasitism and egg rejection behavior in a Bulgarian population of another Old World Emberizinae, the Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra). We found this species was regularly parasitized (9%, 8 of 90 nests) and that the parasitism rate was consistent among the three years of our study. Naturally laid Common Cuckoo eggs were fairly good mimics of host eggs and most were accepted (5 of 7). The Corn Bunting proved to be a suitable Common Cuckoo host as we recorded a successfully fledged cuckoo chick. Unlike Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings, Corn Buntings rejected only 42% (16 of 38) of experimentally introduced nonmimetic model Common Cuckoo eggs and none of the experimentally introduced conspecific eggs (n  =  13). Parasitized nests had more and higher trees in the vicinity than unparasitized nests and breeding habitat characteristics may explain the difference in egg discrimination abilities between Corn Buntings and other Old World Emberizinae.

Experiments on egg discrimination in two North American corvids: further evidence for retention of egg ejection

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (9) ◽  
pp. 1399-1407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd J Underwood ◽  
Spencer G Sealy ◽  
Celia M McLaren
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Alternative Hypothesis ◽  
Egg Discrimination ◽  
Corvus Brachyrhynchos ◽  
Detection Model ◽  
Egg Ejection ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
History Of ◽  
Pica Nuttalli ◽  
High Level

In the absence of brood parasitism in North America, black-billed magpies, Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1822), and yellow-billed magpies, Pica nuttalli (Audubon, 1837), may have retained egg-discrimination behaviour that evolved in Eurasian magpies, Pica pica (L., 1758), in response to parasitism by Old World cuckoos. We further examined this hypothesis by testing the egg-discrimination abilities of black-billed magpies and the American crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos Brehm, 1822, which has no history of brood parasitism. In addition, we tested an alternative hypothesis that black-billed magpies evolved or retained egg discrimination to counter conspecific parasitism by testing their ability to eject foreign conspecific eggs and by using a signal detection model to estimate the level of conspecific parasitism required for ejection to be favoured. Black-billed magpies ejected all non-mimetic eggs and 62% of mimetic eggs. Significantly more mimetic eggs were ejected during the incubation stage than during the laying stage. Magpies ejected significantly more non-mimetic eggs than mimetic eggs overall, but there was no difference in ejection frequency during incubation. American crows ejected 21% of non-mimetic eggs and 8% of mimetic eggs. There was no significant difference in ejection frequency of the two egg types. Black-billed magpies ejected 11% of conspecific eggs and a relatively high level of conspecific parasitism (22%–49%) would be required to select for conspecific ejection, which provides little support for conspecific parasitism as a current selection pressure for maintaining egg discrimination. Thus, black-billed magpies appear to have retained egg rejection in the absence of parasitism through speciation from Eurasian magpies.

Constraints on egg discrimination and cuckoo-host co-evolution

1995 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 1185-1209 ◽  
Author(s):  
ARNON LOTEM ◽  
HIROSHI NAKAMURA ◽  
AMOTZ ZAHAVI
Keyword(s):  
Egg Discrimination

scholarly journals Increase of clutch size triggers clutch destruction behaviour in common moorhens (Gallinula chloropus) during the incubation period

Behaviour ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 150 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Longwu Wang ◽  
Canchao Yang ◽  
Yu-Cheng Hsu ◽  
Anton Antonov ◽  
Arne Moksnes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Incubation Period ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Egg Recognition ◽  
Conspecific Brood Parasitism ◽  
Egg Discrimination ◽  
Incubation Stage ◽  
Egg Colour ◽  
Egg Destruction

Conspecific brood parasitism (CBP) is common in a variety of animal taxa, including birds. In coots (Fulica spp.), and the closely related moorhens (Gallinula spp.), such parasitism is especially common, and hosts experience considerable costs through increased chick competition soon after hatching. Hence, these birds have evolved egg recognition and rejection abilities, e.g., egg counting, burying the foreign eggs, assigning them suboptimal positions within the mixed clutch, or deserting parasitized clutches. For common moorhens (Gallinula chloropus) it has been shown that desertion of parasitized nests pays most at the early egg laying stage. Later on, the costs of desertion exceed the costs of brood parasitism and acceptance is favoured. Here we tested moorhen egg discrimination behaviour during the incubation stage when acceptance of foreign eggs is expected. Four treatments were applied: (1) single added non-mimetic pale blue egg, (2) single added non-mimetic white chicken egg, (3) four foreign conspecific eggs added to the clutch and (4) four foreign conspecific eggs exchanged for four host eggs. Moorhens responded by egg destruction (47%) only to the increased clutch size but not to foreign egg colour and size match. In three nests where egg destruction occurred, all the eggs in the mixed clutch were destroyed by pecking, in two other nests one of the foreign eggs were pecked, while two other nests were deserted. These results are puzzling since moorhens have been shown to possess refined egg recognition abilities. To our knowledge, such destruction of parasitized clutches by moorhens during incubation has not previously been reported. We suggest that after clutch completion, moorhens use increase in clutch size as a cue to determine if they have been parasitized, and some individuals choose to reject parasitic eggs by deserting or destroying the whole clutch.

The perceptual and chemical bases of egg discrimination in communally nesting greater anis Crotophaga major

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. e01776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark E. Hauber ◽  
Miri Dainson ◽  
Daniel T. Baldassarre ◽  
Marouf Hossain ◽  
Mande Holford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Egg Discrimination ◽  
Communally Nesting

scholarly journals The modelling of avian visual perception predicts behavioural rejection responses to foreign egg colours

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 515-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip Cassey ◽  
Marcel Honza ◽  
Tomas Grim ◽  
Mark E Hauber
Keyword(s):  
Visual Perception ◽  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Visual Discrimination ◽  
Short Wavelength ◽  
Wild Birds ◽  
Egg Rejection ◽  
Egg Discrimination ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Song Thrush ◽  
Egg Coloration

How do birds tell the colours of their own and foreign eggs apart? We demonstrate that perceptual modelling of avian visual discrimination can predict behavioural rejection responses to foreign eggs in the nest of wild birds. We use a photoreceptor noise-limited colour opponent model of visual perception to evaluate its accuracy as a predictor of behavioural rates of experimental egg discrimination in the song thrush Turdus philomelos . The visual modelling of experimental and natural eggshell colours suggests that photon capture from the ultraviolet and short wavelength-sensitive cones elicits egg rejection decisions in song thrushes, while inter-clutch variation of egg coloration provides sufficient contrasts for detecting conspecific parasitism in this species. Biologically realistic sensory models provide an important tool for relating variability of behavioural responses to perceived phenotypic variation.

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