In a new paper published in Evolution, Dr Gabriel Jamie along with Silky Hamama, Collins Moya and Prof. Claire Spottiswoode from the African Cuckoos team and collaborators from University of Puerto Rico (Steven Van Belleghem), Princeton University (Dr Cassie Stoddard and Dr Ben Hogan) and University of Cambridge (Professor Rebecca Kilner) provide evidence of host-specific mimicry in the indigobirds and whydahs of Africa. Building on the pioneering work of Robert Payne and Jürgen Nicolai, they provide quantitative evidence that nestling Vidua finches mimic the patterns, colours and begging calls of their host’s nestling, and qualitative evidence of mimicry of host movements. This host-specific mimicry is not only amazing in its own right. It may provide additional reproductive barriers between Vidua finches adapted to different hosts species and represents an excellent example of plasticity facilitating genetic adaptation. While the mimicry is excellent, they also found certain striking imperfections in mimicry between the traits of parasites and their hosts and explore potential explanations for these discrepancies.
Please also see this video on the research, a press release from the University of Cambridge, and a news article in the Daily Mail.