Fledgling discrimination in the hoopoe, a potential host species of the great spotted cuckoo

Abstract

Obligate brood parasites lay their eggs in nests of other species, with host parents bearing the cost of raising their offspring. These costs imposed on hosts select for the evolution of host defenses against parasitism at all stages of the reproductive cycle. The most effective defense is egg rejection at early stages of the breeding cycle, with later-stage defenses (nestling and fledgling discrimination) being less common. In this study, we tested whether the hoopoe (Upupa epops), a potential host of the great spotted cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) without egg rejection ability, presents defenses after the egg stage. We experimentally parasitized hoopoe nests with great spotted cuckoo nestlings creating mixed broods (with hoopoe and cuckoo nestlings) and broods with only cuckoo nestlings and measured parental feeding behavior and survival of nestlings and fledglings of both species. Cuckoo fledglings were fed fewer often than hoopoe fledglings in mixed broods, and adults approached more often to feed hoopoe fledglings than cuckoo fledglings. Consequently, the survival of cuckoo fledglings in both mixed and only-cuckoo-broods, was significantly lower than that of hoopoe fledglings. These results suggest that hoopoes would discriminate great spotted cuckoo fledglings, with or without direct comparison with their own fledglings. However, the survival of some cuckoos suggests that hoopoes have not reached highly efficient defenses so, other life history traits hindering parasitism by cuckoos may explain low parasitism rates and low levels of defenses in this species. Significance statement Brood parasites lay their eggs in nests of other species, tricking hosts into raising their parasitic offspring. However, hosts may fight back impeding successful parasitism by developing defences at any of the stages of their breeding cycle. We investigated why the hoopoe is not parasitized by the great spotted cuckoo despite this potential host apparently does not show such anti-parasitic defenses. We found that hoopoes have evolved the less common host defense: discrimination of parasite fledglings, even in the absence of their own fledgling for comparison. Our study supports the idea that discrimination during the later stages of the nesting cycle (i.e. nestling and fledgling periods) may be more common that previously assumed.