African Cuckoos

Research on brood parasites and other curious African birds

Publications

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This is a list of our publications arising from or related to our research in Zambia. For publications listed per study species or system, please see the Study systems pages; for a full list of each group member’s publications, please see our individual pages.

  • Dixit, T., Choi, G.P.T., al-Mosleh, S., Lund, J., Troscianko, J., Moya, C., Mahadevan, L. and Spottiswoode, C.N., 2023. Combined measures of mimetic fidelity explain imperfect mimicry in a brood parasite–host system. Biology Letters, 19(2), 20220538.
  • Attwood, M. C., Lund, J., Nwaogu, C. J., Moya, C., & Spottiswoode, C. N. (2023). Aggressive hosts are undeterred by a cuckoo’s hawk mimicry, but probably make good foster parents. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 290(1990), 20221506.
  • Dixit, T., Apostol, A., Chen, K. C., Fulford, A., Town, C. P., & Spottiswoode, C. N. (2022) Visual complexity of egg patterns predicts egg rejection according to Weber’s Law. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 289. 20220710. 
  • Cram, D.L., van der Wal, J.E.M., Uomini, N.T., Cantor, M., Afan, A.I., Attwood, M.C., Amphaeris, J., Balasani, F., Blair, C.J., Bronstein, J.L., Buanachique, I.O., Cuthill, R.R.T., Das, J., Daura-Jorge, F.G., Deb, A., Dixit, T., Dlamini, G.S., Dounias, E., Gedi, I.I., Gruber, M., Hoffman, L.S., Holzlehner, T., Isack, H.A., Laltaika, A.E., Lloyd-Jones, D.J., Lund, J., Machado, A.M.S., Mahadevan, L., Moreno, I.B., Nwaogu, C.J., Pereira, V.L., Pierotti, R., Rucunua, S.A., dos Santos, W.F., Serpa, N., Smith, B.D., Sridhar, H., Tolkova, I., Tun, T., Valle-Pereira, J.V.S., Wood, B.M., Wrangham, R.W. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2022) The ecology and evolution of human-wildlife cooperation. People and Nature DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10369
  • van der Wal, J.E.M., Spottiswoode, C.N., Uomini, N.T., Cantor, M., Daura-Jorge, F.G., Afan, A.I., Attwood, M.C., Amphaeris, J., Balasani, F., Begg, C.M., Blair, C.J., Bronstein, J.L., Buanachique, I.O., Cuthill, R.R.T., Das, J., Deb, A., Dixit, T., Dlamini, G.S., Dounias, E., Gedi, I.I., Gruber, M., Hoffman, L.S., Holzlehner, T., Isack, H.A., Laltaika, A.E., Lloyd-Jones, D.J., Lund, J., Machado, A.M.S., Mahadevan, L., Moreno, I.B., Nwaogu, C.J., Pereira, V.L., Pierotti, R., Rucunua, S.A., dos Santos, W.F., Serpa, N., Smith, B.D., Tolkova, I., Tun, T., Valle-Pereira, J.V.S., Wood, B.M., Wrangham, R.W. & Cram, D.L. 2022 Safeguarding human-wildlife cooperation. Conservation Letters e12886
  • Spottiswoode, C.N., Tong, W., Jamie, G.A., Stryjewski, K.F., DaCosta, J., Kuras, E., Green, A., Hamama, S., Taylor, I.G., Moya, C. & Sorenson, M.D. (2022) Genetic architecture facilitates then constrains adaptation in a host-parasite coevolutionary arms race. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 119: e2121752119.
  • McClelland, S.C., Reynolds, M., Cordall, M., Hauber, M.E., Goymann, W., McClean, L.A., Hamama, S., Lund, J., Dixit, T., Louder, M.I.M., Safari, I., Honza, M., Spottiswoode, C.N. & Portugal, S.J. (2021) Embryo movement is more frequent in avian brood parasites than birds with parental reproductive strategies. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 288: 20211137.
  • Dixit, T., Caves, E.M., Spottiswoode, C.N. & Horrocks, N.P.C. (2021) Why and how to apply Weber’s Law to coevolution and mimicry. Evolution 75: 1906-1919.
  • Caves, E.M., Dixit, T., Colebrook-Robjent, J.F.R., Hamusikili, L., Stevens, M., Thorogood, R. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2021) Hosts elevate either within-clutch consistency or between-clutch distinctiveness of egg phenotypes in defence against brood parasites. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 288: 20210326.
  • Jamie, G.A., Hamama, S., Moya, C., Kilner, R.M. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2021) The limits of host colonisation and speciation in a radiation of parasitic finches. Behavioral Ecology 32: 529-538.
  • Jamie, G.A., Van Belleghem, S., Hogan, B., Hamama, S., Moya, C., Troscianko, J., Stoddard, M.C., Kilner, R.M. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2020) Multimodal mimicry of hosts in a radiation of parasitic finches. Evolution 74: 2526-2538 Read a Digest piece on this research by Bosque et al.
  • Jamie, G.A.* & J. I. Meier.* (2020). The persistence of polymorphisms across species radiations. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 35: 795-808.
  • Jones, S.E.*, Jamie, G.A.*, Sumbane, M. & Jocque, M. (2020) The avifauna, conservation and biogeography of the Njesi Highlands in northern Mozambique, with a review of the country’s Afromontane birdlife. Ostrich 91: 45-56.
  • Sorensen, M.C., Dixit, T., Newton, J., Kardynal, K., Hobson, K., Bensch, S., Jenni-Eiereman, S. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2019) Migration distance does not predict blood parasitism in a Palearctic-African migratory bird. Ecology and Evolution 9: 8294-8304. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Bryan, K.M. & Jamie, G.A. (2019) Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus feeding two Greater Honeyguide Indicator indicator fledglings in Botswana. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 26: 101-102. Download PDF
  • Thorogood, R., Spottiswoode, C.N., Portugal, S.J. & Gloag, R. (2019) The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: a call for integration. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 374: 20180190. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • McClelland, S.C., Jamie, G.A., Waters, K., Caldas, L., Spottiswoode, C.N. & Portugal, S.J. (2019) Convergent evolution of reduced eggshell conductance in avian brood parasites. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B374: 20180194. 70. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Spottiswoode, C.N.* & Busch, R.* (2019) Vive la difference! Self/non-self recognition and the evolution of signature polymorphism in arms races with parasites. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 374: 20180206.Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Stoddard, M.C., Hogan, B., Stevens, M. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2019) Higher-level pattern features provide additional information to birds when recognizing and rejecting parasitic eggs. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 374: 20180197. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Jamie, G.A. & Kilner, R.M. (2017) Begging call mimicry by brood parasite nestlings: adaptation, manipulation and development. In: Avian Brood Parasitism edited by Manuel Soler, Springer Publishing Company
  • Stevens, M., Troscianko, J., Wilson-Aggarwal, J.K. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2017) Improvement of individual camouflage through background choice in ground-nesting birds. Nature Ecology & Evolution 1: 1325-1333. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Spottiswoode, C.N. (2017) Perspectives: The most perfect thing, explained. Science 356: 1234-1235. For link to full text please see Claire’s page
  • Caves, E.M., Stevens, M. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2017) Does coevolution with a shared parasite drive hosts to partition their defences among species? Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 284: 20170272 Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Jamie, G.A. (2017) Signals, cues and the nature of mimicry. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 284: 20162080. Read on journal website
  • Troscianko, J. Wilson-Aggarwal, J., Griffiths, D., Spottiswoode, C.N. & Stevens, M. (2017) Relative advantages of dichromatic and trichromatic color vision in camouflage breaking. Behavioral Ecology 28: 556-564. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Sorensen, M.C., Fairhurst, G.D., Jenni-Eiermann, D., Newton, J., Yohannes, E. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2016) Seasonal rainfall at long-term migratory staging sites is associated with altered carry-over effects in a Palearctic-African migratory bird. BMC Ecology 16: 41. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Spottiswoode, C.N., Begg, K.S. & Begg, C.M. (2016) Reciprocal signaling in human-honeyguide mutualism. Science 353: 387-389. For link to full text please see Claire’s page
  • Wilson-Aggarwal, J., Troscianko, J., Stevens, M. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2016) Escape distance in ground-nesting birds differs with level of individual camouflage. American Naturalist 188: 231–239. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Péron, G., Altwegg, R., Jamie, G.A. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2016) Coupled range dynamics of brood parasites and their hosts responding to climate and vegetation changes. Journal of Animal Ecology 85: 1191–1199. Read on journal website
  • Jamie, G.A., Moya, C. & Hamusikili, L. (2016) Incubation and nest-defence behaviour of Streaky-breasted Flufftail Sarothrura boehmi in Zambia. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 23: 82–85. Download PDF
  • Horrocks, N.P.C. (2016) Usurpation of a Crowned Lapwing Vanellus coronatus nest by African Wattled Lapwings V. senegalensis. Ostrich 87: 95-97. Read on journal website
  • Sorensen, M.C., Jenni-Eiermann, S. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2016) Why do migratory birds sing on their tropical wintering grounds? American Naturalist 187: E65–E76. Read on journal website
  • Troscianko, J., Wilson-Aggarwal, J., Stevens, M. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2016) Camouflage directly predicts the survival probability of ground-nesting birds. Scientific Reports 6: 19966. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Sorensen, M.C., Asghar, M., Bensch, S., Fairhurst, G.D., Jenni-Eiermann, S. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2016) A rare study from the wintering grounds provides insight into the costs of malaria infection for migratory birds. Journal of Avian Biology 57: 575–582. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Caves, E.M., Stevens, M., Iversen, E. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2015) Hosts of brood parasites have evolved egg signatures with elevated information content. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 282: 20150598. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Feeney, W.E., Troscianko, J., Langmore, N.E. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2015) Evidence for aggressive mimicry in an adult brood parasitic bird, and generalised defences in its host. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 282: 2015079. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • El-Arabany, N., Sorensen, M.C. & Hansson, B. (2015) Inferring the links between breeding and wintering grounds in a Palearctic-African migratory bird, the Great Reed Warbler, using mitochondrial DNA data. African Zoology 50: 241-248.
  • Tong, W., Horrocks, N.P.C. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2015) The sight of an adult brood parasite near the nest is an insufficient cue for a honeyguide host to reject foreign eggs. Ibis 157: 626-630. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Sorensen, M.C. (2014) Singing in Africa: no evidence for a long supposed function of winter song in a migratory songbird. Behavioral Ecology 25: 909-915. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Spottiswoode, C.N. (2013) Perspectives: How cooperation defeats cheats. Science 342: 1452-1453. Read on journal website
  • Stevens, M., Troscianko, J. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2013) Repeated targeting of the same hosts by a brood parasite compromises host egg rejection. Nature Communications 4: 2475. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Spottiswoode, C.N. (2013) A brood parasite selects for its own eggs traits.Biology Letters 9: 20130573. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Corfield, J.R., Birkhead, T.R., Spottiswoode, C.N., Iwaniuk, A.N., Boogert, N.J., Gutiérrez-Ibáñez, C., Overington, S.E., Wylie, D.R. & Lefebvre, L. (2013) Brain size and morphology of the brood-parasitic and cerophagous honeyguides (Aves: Piciformes). Brain, Behaviour and Evolution 81: 170-186. Download PDF
  • Spottiswoode, C.N. & Stevens, M. (2012) Host-parasite arms races and rapid changes in bird egg appearance. American Naturalist 179: 633-648. Download PDF
  • Spottiswoode, C.N. & Koorevaar, J. (2012) A stab in the dark: chick killing by brood parasitic honeyguides. Biology Letters 8: 241-244. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Spottiswoode, C.N., Kilner, R.M. & Davies, N.B. (2012) Brood parasitism. in: Royle, N.J., Smiseth, P.T. & Kölliker, M. (Eds) The Evolution of Parental Care. Oxford University Press. Download chapter PDF
  • Langmore, N.E. & Spottiswoode, C.N. (2012) Host manipulation through visual trickery in avian brood parasites. in: Hughes, D.P., Brodeur, J. & Thomas, F. (Eds) Host Manipulation By Parasites. Oxford University Press. Download chapter PDF
  • Spottiswoode, C.N., Stryjewski, K.F., Quader, S., Colebrook-Robjent, J.F.R. & Sorenson, M.D. (2011) Ancient host-specificity within a single species of brood parasitic bird. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 108: 17738-17742. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Spottiswoode, C.N. & Stevens, M. (2011) How to evade a coevolving brood parasite: egg discrimination versus egg variability as host defences. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 278: 3566-3573. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Birkhead, T.R., Hemmings, N., Spottiswoode, C.N., Mikulica, O, Moskát, C., Bán, M. & Schulze-Hagen, K. (2011) Internal incubation and early hatching in brood parasitic birds. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 278, 1019-1024. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Spottiswoode, C.N. (2010) The evolution of host-specific variation in cuckoo eggshell strength. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 23: 1792-1799. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Spottiswoode, C.N. & Stevens, M. (2010) Visual modeling shows that avian host parents use multiple visual cues in rejecting parasitic eggs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 107: 8672-8676. Read on journal website [Open Access]
  • Spottiswoode, C.N. & Colebrook-Robjent, J.F.R. (2007) Egg puncturing by the brood parasitic Greater Honeyguide and potential host counteradaptations. Behavioral Ecology 18: 792-799. Download PDF

 

News

New paper on imperfect egg mimicry

Feb 15, 2023

Our paper “Combined measures of mimetic fidelity explain imperfect mimicry in a brood parasite-host system” has just been published in the journal Biology Letters. This study was led by Tanmay Dixit, and carried out together with Gary Choi, Salem al-Mosleh, Jess Lund, Jolyon Troscianko, Collins Moya, L Mahadevan, and Claire Spottiswoode, as part of a collaboration between our group and Prof. Mahadevan and his lab at Harvard University. Together we combined mathematical tools and field experiments in Zambia to quantify a key difference – “squiggle” markings – between the eggs of hosts (tawny-flanked prinias) and parasites (cuckoo finches). We showed that suboptimal behaviour on the part of prinias allows cuckoo finches to get by with an imperfect copy of prinia eggs.

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New paper on host aggression and hawk mimicry

Jan 4, 2023

Our paper “Aggressive hosts are undeterred by a cuckoo’s hawk mimicry, but probably make good foster parents” has just been published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. In the paper, we investigate the costs and benefits to the African cuckoo of specializing on a highly aggressive host species, the fork-tailed drongo.

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African Cuckoos Team at the Pan-African Ornithological Congress

Nov 25, 2022

The African Cuckoos Team had a fantastic time at the Pan-African Ornithological Congress (PAOC15), this year held in Vic Falls, Zimbabwe. Dr Chima Nwaogu gave a plenary talk on “Differing Priorities in the Timing of Annual Life History Events”, while Professor Claire Spottiswoode and Silky Hamama presented during a roundtable session on communities in conservation and research. Silky also presented a poster, with Claire, Jess Lund, Mairenn Attwood and Cameron Blair each giving research talks as well. 

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