Caught on camera: circumstantial evidence for fatal mobbing of an avian brood parasite by a host
Michal Šulc, Gabriela Štětková, Petr Procházka, Milica Požgayová, Kateřina Sosnovcová, Jan Studecký, Marcel Honza
Abstract
Hosts have evolved a multiplicity of defensive responses against avian brood parasites. One of them is mobbing behaviour which often includes direct contact attacks. These aggressive strikes may not only distract the parasites but may also be fatal to them, as documented by cases of dead brood parasite females found near host nests. Here, we present the first video-recording of a great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) host whose vigorous nest defence appears to directly lead to the death of a female common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). We suggest that the chance of parasite death probably rises with the presence of unfavourable factors, such as water below the nest. Our observation supports previous suggestions that hosts may pose a lethal danger to their parasites.