Coevolution, communication, and host chick mimicry in parasitic finches: who mimics whom?

ME Hauber, RM Kilner - Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2007 - Springer
Why do brood parasitic Vidua nestlings mimic the intricate gape patterns of their hosts'
young so precisely? The classic explanation is that mimicry is the outcome of a …

Constraints on host choice: why do parasitic birds rarely exploit some common potential hosts?

T Grim, P Samaš, C Moskát, O Kleven… - Journal of Animal …, 2011 - Wiley Online Library
Why are some common and apparently suitable resources avoided by potential users? This
interesting ecological and evolutionary conundrum is vividly illustrated by obligate brood …

The modelling of avian visual perception predicts behavioural rejection responses to foreign egg colours

P Cassey, M Honza, T Grim… - Biology Letters, 2008 - royalsocietypublishing.org
How do birds tell the colours of their own and foreign eggs apart? We demonstrate that
perceptual modelling of avian visual discrimination can predict behavioural rejection …

Experimental evidence for chick discrimination without recognition in a brood parasite host

T Grim - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological …, 2007 - royalsocietypublishing.org
Recognition is considered a critical basis for discriminatory behaviours in animals.
Theoretically, recognition and discrimination of parasitic chicks are not predicted to evolve in …

Geographic variation in egg ejection rate by great tits across 2 continents

W Liang, AP Møller, BG Stokke, C Yang… - Behavioral …, 2016 - academic.oup.com
Hosts of brood parasites may vary geographically in their ability to resist parasitism. In
contrast, geographic variation in defenses, such as egg rejection, is not expected to be …

Avoiding parasitism by breeding indoors: cuckoo parasitism of hirundines and rejection of eggs

W Liang, C Yang, L Wang, AP Møller - Behavioral Ecology and …, 2013 - Springer
Brood parasitism is costly to hosts, and, therefore, a number of anti-parasite defenses have
evolved. Surprisingly, several high-quality hosts such as martins and swallows are rarely …

Egg phenotype differentiation in sympatric cuckoo Cuculus canorus gentes

A Antonov, BG Stokke, JR Vikan… - Journal of …, 2010 - academic.oup.com
The brood parasitic common cuckoo Cuculus canorus consists of gentes, which typically
parasitize only a single host species whose eggs they often mimic. Where multiple cuckoo …

Explaining variation in brood parasitism rates between potential host species with similar habitat requirements

D Li, Z Zhang, T Grim, W Liang, BG Stokke - Evolutionary Ecology, 2016 - Springer
Host specialization evolved in many parasite-host systems. Evolution and maintenance of
host specificity may be influenced by host life-history traits, active host selection by the …

Characteristics determining host suitability for a generalist parasite

BG Stokke, II Ratikainen, A Moksnes, E Røskaft… - Scientific Reports, 2018 - nature.com
Host quality is critical for parasites. The common cuckoo Cuculus canorus is a generalist
avian brood parasite, but individual females show strong preference for a specific host …

Are tits really unsuitable hosts for the common cuckoo?

T Grim, P Samaš, P Procházka, J Rutila - Ornis Fennica, 2014 - ornisfennica.journal.fi
Avian brood parasites exploit hosts that have accessible nests and a soft insect diet.
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) hosts were traditionally classified as suitable if both …