Brood Parasitism

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Brood Parasitism

• Rachel Villani
• Biol 7083
• November 19, 2009

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Outline

• Definition / Quick facts
• How it works
• Detailed examples
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Common Cuckoo
• Black-headed Duck
• Conclusions

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What is brood parasitism?

• Individuals of the parasite breed are reared by
  individuals of the host breed

Rothstein 1990
http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84
/Malecowbird.jpg
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Fun Facts

• 1 of all birds are brood parasites
• Honeyguides (18 spp), 60 species of cuckoos
  (Cuculidae), 2 genera of finches (20 spp), 5
  cowbirds, and 1 duck.
• 85 species are interspecific parasites

May Robinson 1985 Payne 1977 Payne 1998
Left 4 Wikimedia Commons Black-headed Duck
http//www.hancockhouse.com/products/product_image
s//WatFow3.jpg
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How does it work?

• Parasites lay egg(s) in host nests
• Hosts then accept or reject eggs
• If accept, then raise

Accepted
http//www.sialis.org/cowbirdphotos.htm
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Two kinds
Common Goldeneye

• Intraspecific
• Same species
• dump nesting (Fac.)
• Common in waterfowl
• Interspecific
• Different species
• Typically 1 egg
• Specialist / Generalist
• Obligate / Facultative

http//media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/54/6554
-004-B1F94934.jpg
http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6
/Common_Goldeneye.jpg
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Payne 1977
Payne 1977
Payne 1977
Glassey Forbes 2003
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http//www.birdfinders.co.uk/images/rufous-hornero
-brazil-feb-2007.jpg
Size
Color
Rothstein 1990
Lotem 1995
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_reed_warbler
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Example parasites

• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Obligate, interspecific
• Common Cuckoo
• Obligate, interspecific
• Species is a generalist
• Females are specialists
• Black-headed Duck
• Obligate, intraspecific

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Brown-headed Cowbird

• BHCO
• N. American species
• Parasitize 220 species
• Obligate
• Hatch 11-13 days
• Earlier than hosts

http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84
/Malecowbird.jpg
Rothstein 1990 Payne 1977
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileMolothus_ater_Ma
p.svg
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Brown-headed Cowbird

• Hosts

• Acceptors
• 24-28 of nests parasitized
• Abandon parasitized nests renest
• High predation rates (80)
• May nest 3-4 times / year
• 7 of parasitized nests fledge any young

May Robinson 1985
http//www.1000birds.com/images/Prairie-Warbler380
71.jpg
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Brown-headed Cowbird

• Hosts

• Acceptors
• 44 of nests parasitized
• High predation rates (80)
• Nest 2.8 times / season

Song Sparrow
May Robinson 1985
http//tdwilson.org/pics/birds/song_sparrow_large.
jpg
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Brown-headed Cowbird
Mean fledged in unparasitized and parasitized
nests
Probability of parasitism
May Robinson 1985
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Brown-headed Cowbird
Rothstein 1975
http//1.bp.blogspot.com/_eDsYe_W-c-E/R1RY6RaBGCI/
AAAAAAAAAdQ/PmRKCUKINH4/s1600-R/Phoebe-Eastern2BI
MG_0029b.jpg
http//sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/photos/east
ern_kingbird_4.jpg
http//academic.scranton.edu/faculty/smithr9/catbi
rd.jpg
http//greennature.com/gallery/icterids/red-winged
-blackbird.jpg
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Brown-headed Cowbird
PROW

• Retaliation
• Mafia hypothesis
• Depredate nests that reject BHCO eggs
• Egg ejected/BHCO access
• Nonparasitized/BHCO access
• Egg accepted/BHCO access
• Egg ejected/no BHCO access
• No egg / no BHCO access

Hoover Robinson 2007
http//mayo.personcounty.net/Bird20Folder/Songbir
ds/Prothonotary20Warbler.jpg
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Brown-headed Cowbird
PROW

• Retaliation
• Mafia hypothesis
• Depredate nests that reject BHCO eggs (56)
• 85 of re-nests (post-depredation) were
  parasitized by BHCO
• Keep the egg, or lose the nest

Hoover Robinson 2007
http//mayo.personcounty.net/Bird20Folder/Songbir
ds/Prothonotary20Warbler.jpg
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Common Cuckoo

• COCU
• Obligates
• Females are specialists
• Wide range of hosts
• Lots across range, not all ranges overlap
• Incubation 2-4 days shorter
• Egg mimicry

Rothstein 1990 Lotem 1995 Payne 1977
http//www.commanster.eu/commanster/Vertebrates/Bi
rds/SuBirds/Cuculus.canorus.jpg
http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b
/Distribution_of_Cuculus_canorus.PNG
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Common Cuckoo

• Hosts

• Mixed accept / reject
• Reject when see a COCU at nest
• Reject non-mimetic eggs (67) more than mimetic
  eggs (3)
• Reject via ejection (67), desertion (18),
  rebuild (15)

Davies et al. 1996
http//www.tauntonwildlife.com/myPictures/reed20w
arbler.jpg
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Common Cuckoo
Costs - Damage own eggs - Reject wrong eggs

• Benefits
• Remove parasite (70)
• Raise own young

Costs - Raise COCU
Benefits - None
Davies et al. 1996
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Common Cuckoo

• Japan
• Rejection 61.5

Lotem et al. 1995
http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c
/Reed_warbler_cuckoo.jpg
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Black-headed Duck
http//ontfin.com/Word/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/
black_headed_duck2.jpg

• BHDU
• Obligate, precocial
• Young only need warmth, take off after 1-2 days
• Little effect on hosts nest
• Eggs relatively large
• 11 hosts, 2 mostly (80)

Payne 1977 Lyon Eadie 2004
http//www.groms.de/groms/JPGs/Small_Ones/Hatricap
_s.jpg
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Black-headed Duck

• Hosts

• 58 BHDU
• No costs for parasitism
• Egg rejection

Red-gartered Coot
Lyon Eadie 2004
http//www.chepuadventures.com/images/Tagua20comu
n20-20Red-gartered20Coot20-20Fulica20armilla
ta.JPG
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Black-headed Duck

• Hosts

• Parasitized nests suffered higher losses
• Ejected eggs more often

Red-fronted Coot
Lyon Eadie 2004
http//www.arthurgrosset.com/sabirds/photos/fulruf
15498.jpg
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Black-headed Duck

• RG coot got more eggs
• Almost even of nests parasitized
• Higher hatching in RG coot
• More rejection in RF coot

Lyon Eadie 2004
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Conclusions

• BHCO are dangerous to passerines
• COCU are crafty (egg mimicry)
• BHDU are less damaging than most parasites
• There are lots of ways parasitism can occur and
  it depends greatly on the species

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Questions?
http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c
/Reed_warbler_cuckoo.jpg
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Scientific Names

• Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
• Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)
• Black-headed Duck (Heteronetta atricapilla)
• Wahlbergs Honeyguide (Prodotiscus regulus)
• Village Indigobird (Vidua chalybeata)
• Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis)
• Common Goldeneye (Bucelphala clangula)
• Red-winged Blackbird (Agelatus phoeniceus)
• Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus)
• Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceous)
• Prairie Warbler (Dendroica discolor)
• Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
• Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
• Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)
• Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
• Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea)
• Red-gartered Coot (Fulica armillata)
• Red-fronted Coot (Fulica rufifrons)

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Sources

• Davies, N.B., M. De L. Brooke, A. Kacelnik. 1996.
  Recognition errors and probability of parasitism
  determine whether Reed Warblers should accept or
  reject mimetic cuckoo eggs. Proceedings
  Biological Sciences 263(1372) 925-931.
• Glassey, B. and S. Forbes. 2003. Why brown-headed
  cowbirds do not influence red-winged blackbird
  parent behaviour. Animal Behaviour 65 (6)
  1235-1246.
• Hoover, J.P. and S.K. Robinson. 2007. Retaliatory
  mafia behavior by a parasitic cowbird favors host
  acceptance of parasitic eggs. Proceedings of the
  National Academy of Sciences 104(11) 4479-4483.
• Lotem, A., H. Nakamura, A. Zahavi. 1995.
  Constraints on egg discrimination and cuckoo host
  co-evolution. Animal Behaviour 49 1185-1209.
• Lyon, B.E. and J.M. Eadie. 2004. An obligate
  brood parasite trapped in the intraspecific arms
  race of its hosts. Nature 432 (18 Nov 2004)
  390-393.
• May, R.M. and S.K. Robinson. 1985. Population
  dynamics of avian brood parasitism. The American
  Naturalist 126(4) 475-494.
• Payne, R.B. 1977. The ecology of brood parasitism
  in birds. Annual Review of Ecology and
  Systematics 8 1-28.
• Payne, R.B. 1998. Brood parasitism in birds
  Strangers in the nest. Bioscience 48(5) 377-386.
  
• Rothstein, S.I. 1975. Evolutionary rates and host
  defenses against avian brood parasitism. The
  American Naturalist 109(966) 161-176.
• Rothstein, S.I. 1990. Annual Review of Ecology
  and Systematics 21 4881-508.