Brood

World Wide Web

Habitat

Demography

Ecology

Biology

Social psychology

Parasite hosting

Mobbing

Archaeology

Cuckoo

Biochemistry

Computer science

Nest (protein structural motif)

Acrocephalus

Warbler

Psychology

Geography

Psychotherapist

Population

Sociology

Circumstantial evidence

Brood parasite

Parasitism

Zoology

Host (biology)

Journal of Vertebrate Biology

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.

Caught on camera: circumstantial evidence for fatal mobbing of an avian brood parasite by a host