Frequent Vocalizing is Negatively Associated with Brood Parasitism in a Host of the Brown-Headed Cowbird

The condor

Sonya E. Steckler¹ 

关键词: Bell's Vireo;    brood parasitism;    Brown-headed Cowbird;    eavesdropping;    host-activity hypothesis;    host behavior;    Molothrus ater;    Vireo bellii;    vocalization rate.;   

DOI  :  10.1525/cond.2012.110006

学科分类：动物科学

来源: Central Ornithology Publication Office

【 摘 要 】

Abstract. Brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) can substantially affect host species' reproductive success. The “host-activity” hypothesis suggests that parasites eavesdrop on conspicuous behaviors to locate and parasitize hosts, and several studies of cowbird hosts support this hypothesis. In contrast, a recent study of the Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) reported a negative association between the host's vocalization rate near the nest and brood parasitism. This contradictory pattern is intriguing because Bell's Vireo is a common cowbird host and vocalizes near and on its nests. We tested a key assumption of the host-activity hypothesis in a different subspecies (V. b. arizonae) to determine whether the contradictory pattern reported in V. b. pusillus is an anomaly or could be generalized to other subspecies. Unparasitized vireos vocalized more frequently than parasitized birds, confirming that the pattern in Bell's Vireos is the opposite of that reported for other co...

【 授权许可】

CC BY