Evidence for Individual Female Host Specificity in 2 Australian Bronze-Cuckoos (Chrysococcyx Spp)

Abstract

Australian evidence suggests that the host segregation of cuckoos has evolved as a result of interspecific competition between cuckoo species. However, this does not explain how female cuckoos manage to deposit their eggs in nests of the correct host. Data are presented on the laying patterns of the cuckoos Chrysococcyx basalis and C. lucidus from an 8-year study of these species in Western Australia and three scenarios for the mechanisms of host selection are discussed.