Open AccessQuintuple parasitism of a great reed warbler nest by common cuckoos
Author(s) -
Marton Attila
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
ecology and evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.17
H-Index - 63
ISSN - 2045-7758
DOI - 10.1002/ece3.7669
Subject(s) - brood parasite , cuckoo , biology , parasitism , warbler , nest (protein structural motif) , cowbird , ecology , acrocephalus , zoology , host (biology) , population , demography , biochemistry , sociology , habitat
Abstract Multiple parasitism in obligate avian brood parasites occurs when several brood parasitic females lay their eggs in the nest of the same host. While multiple parasitism is common in the highly social, nonevicting cowbird species (Molothrus sp.), in which multiple parasitic nestlings can be raised simultaneously by the same hosts, it is less common in the case of cuckoo species (Cuculus sp.). The first cuckoo nestling to hatch from the egg evicts all nestmates; therefore, it is costly for cuckoo females to lay eggs in already parasitized nests. However, this can occur in sites with very high parasitism rates, and it can even increase the breeding success of the brood parasites, as the presence of multiple parasitic eggs in the nest of the host decreases rejection rates. Here, we present a case of a quintuple brood parasitism of a great reed warbler ( Acrocephalus arundinaceus ) nest, an extreme form of multiple brood parasitism.