Experiments and observations of prothonotary warblers indicate a lack of adaptive responses to brood parasitism

• Published in: Animal behaviour Vol. 65; no. 5; pp. 935 - 944
• Main Author: Hoover, Jeffrey P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kent Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2003; Elsevier; Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Ltd
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal behavior; Animal populations; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Autoecology; Aves; Biological and medical sciences; Birds; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Vertebrata; United States; North America; Illinois; America; Host parasite relation; Vertebrata; Brood; Egg laying; Adaptive response; Breeding success; Parasitism; Aves; Nestling; Breeding behavior; Field study

It has been suggested that prothonotary warblers, Protonotaria citrea, respond adaptively to brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds, Molothrus ater, even though they lack historical habitat and range overlap with cowbirds. I studied behaviours functioning as potential defences against brood paras...