Volume 12 Issue 1
Jul.  2021
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Swetlana G. Meshcheryagina, Alexey Opaev. 2021: Previously unknown behavior in parasitic cuckoo females: male-like vocalization during migratory activity. Avian Research, 12(1): 10. DOI: 10.1186/s40657-021-00246-9
Citation: Swetlana G. Meshcheryagina, Alexey Opaev. 2021: Previously unknown behavior in parasitic cuckoo females: male-like vocalization during migratory activity. Avian Research, 12(1): 10. DOI: 10.1186/s40657-021-00246-9
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Previously unknown behavior in parasitic cuckoo females: male-like vocalization during migratory activity

  • 1.

    Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg, Russia

  • 2.

    A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Funds: 

This study was performed within the frameworks of state contract with the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences 18-9-4-22

as a part of Program of the Russian Academy of Sciences 2013-2020 AAAA-A18-118042690110-1[0109-2019-0003]

'Ecological and evolutionary aspects of animal behavior and communication'.Call analysis was supported by the Russian Science Foundation 20-14-00058

More Information
  • Corresponding author:

    Swetlana G. Meshcheryagina, meshcheryagina_sg@ipae.uran.ru

  • Received Date: 23 Sep 2020
  • Accepted Date: 23 Feb 2021
  • Available Online: 24 Apr 2022
  • Publish Date: 05 Mar 2021
    Graphical Abstract
    • Abstract
  • Background 

    In the last decade, enigmatic male-like cuckoo calls have been reported several times in East Asia. These calls exhibited a combination of vocal traits of both Oriental Cuckoo (Cuculus optatus) and Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) advertising calls, and some authors therefore suggested that the enigmatic calls were produced by either Common × Oriental Cuckoo male hybrids or Common Cuckoo males having a gene mutation. However, the exact identity of calling birds are still unknown.

    Methods 

    We recorded previously unknown male-like calls from three captive Oriental Cuckoo females, and compared these calls with enigmatic vocalizations recorded in the wild as well as with advertising vocalizations of Common and Oriental Cuckoo males. To achieve this, we measured calls automatically. Besides, we video-recorded captive female emitting male-like calls, and compared these recordings with the YouTube recordings of calling males of both Common and Oriental Cuckoos to get insight into the mechanism of call production.

    Results 

    The analysis showed that female male-like calls recorded in captivity were similar to enigmatic calls recorded in the wild. Therefore, Oriental Cuckoo females might produce the latter calls. Two features of these female calls appeared to be unusual among birds. First, females produced male-like calls at the time of spring and autumn migratory activity and on migration in the wild. Because of this, functional significance of this call remained puzzling. Secondly, the male-like female call unexpectedly combined features of both closed-mouth (closed beak and simultaneous inflation of the 'throat sac') and open-mouth (prominent harmonic spectrum and the maximum neck extension observed at the beginning of a sound) vocal behaviors.

    Conclusions 

    The Cuculus vocalizations outside the reproductive season remain poorly understood. Here, we found for the first time that Oriental Cuckoo females can produce male-like calls in that time. Because of its rarity, this call might be an atavism. Indeed, female male-like vocalizations are still known in non-parasitic tropical and apparently more basal cuckoos only. Therefore, our findings may shed light on the evolution of vocal communication in avian brood parasites.

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  • Correction to: Avian Res (2021) 12:19

    https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-021-00254-9

    Following publication of the original article (Hou et al. 2021), the authors identified an error in Fig. 1. The correct figure is given below.

    Figure  1.  The experiment design in this study
    DownLoad: Full-Size Img PowerPoint

    The original article (Hou et al. 2021) has been updated.

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