Hi John,
That's a great question! I think this is an area that still needs a lot more
research, though there does seem to be some evidence of territoriality in some
brood parasites. For the Pacific Koel, the males constantly advertise
themselves by sitting on a high perch and giving their "ko-el" call. But its
not understood if this is for mating purposes or if the male is signalling to
other males: this is my nesting territory, back off. I have definitely seen
males fighting/posturing to one another, but again, I'm not sure if this is a
fight over a female or of an area. However, myself and many other COG members
have noted that male koels often call very close to host nests that contain
koel eggs/nestlings. I've also seen female koels very close to parasitised
nests.
In North America, female brown-headed cowbirds have been described as sometimes
being territorial and defending their breeding grounds, though their
territories often overlap. However, for cowbirds, its not as important to
defend a parasitised nest since many cowbird hosts are capable of raising more
than one cowbird.
That's my take anyway!
Cheers,
Virginia
________________________________
From: Birding-Aus <> on behalf of John
Leonard <>
Sent: 16 June 2017 14:17
To: Birding Aus
Subject: Cuckoo behaviour
Can someone answer this question I had from someone at work, I can't find any
information.
Has it been observed that any species of cuckoo, having laid an egg in a host
nest, then defends that nest against predators or other cuckoos trying to
parasitise it?
John Leonard
<HR>
<BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
<BR>
<BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
<BR> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
Birding-Aus Info
Page<http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org>
birding-aus.org
BIRDING-AUS is a discussion group for anyone with an interest in Australian
wild birds. Read updates and trip reports from many parts of Australia.
</HR>
<HR>
<BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
<BR>
<BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
<BR> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
</HR>
|
