Day-after impact of simulated rival encounter in the common cuckoo

Abstract

Studies show that the common cuckoo exhibits a strong vocal response to rival playback. In this study, we aimed to assess if males would more eagerly vocally defend their home ranges a day after a simulated rival encounter. At 48 sites in Poland, we conducted a playback experiment where we played 20 calls repeated 5 times with a 5-min break between each series. Using the automatic analysis software Kaleidoscope Pro, we detected cuckoo calls in two datasets, directly after the experiment and the day after. Our results show that even though cuckoos respond to rival calls, this response is short-lived.