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dc.contributor.authorMeshcheryagina, S. G.
dc.contributor.authorMashanova, A.
dc.contributor.authorBachurin, G. N.
dc.contributor.authorMitiay, I. S.
dc.contributor.authorGolovatin, M. G.
dc.date.accessioned2019-01-30T12:15:13Z
dc.date.available2019-01-30T12:15:13Z
dc.date.issued2018-11-02
dc.identifier.citationMeshcheryagina , S G , Mashanova , A , Bachurin , G N , Mitiay , I S & Golovatin , M G 2018 , ' Host species determines egg size in Oriental cuckoo ' , Journal of Zoology , vol. 306 , no. 3 , pp. 147-155 . https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12583
dc.identifier.issn0952-8369
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-3273-8184/work/74071747
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2299/21023
dc.description© 2018 The Zoological Society of London.
dc.description.abstractThe Oriental cuckoo Cuculus optatus is an obligate brood parasite associated with species of the genus Phylloscopus. Four distinct phenotypes of Oriental cuckoo eggs, matching eggshell colour patterns of Arctic warbler Phylloscopus borealis, common chiffchaff (Siberian) P. collybita tristis, yellow-browed warbler P. inornatus and Pallas's leaf warbler P. proregulus, have been identified in the Russian part of its breeding area. We compared egg length, breadth and volume of Oriental cuckoo egg phenotypes with eggs of the corresponding hosts from three geographical regions in Russia: the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. We found significant oometric differences between Oriental cuckoo egg phenotypes. Egg breadth of each cuckoo group matched the egg breadth of the host species, while the length of cuckoo eggs did not match egg length in host species. Our results can be explained in terms of clutch geometry. An egg sticking out above the clutch is likely to be rejected by the host and so breadth should match the host's egg. This constrains cuckoos in maintaining large egg volumes, which are essential for providing a cuckoo chick with the energy required to eject the host eggs and chicks. An increased egg length might compensate for breadth constraints. We suggest that the size of cuckoo eggs might also be affected by parental care - when only one parent is involved in feeding, eggs need to be larger. This might explain why the longest cuckoo eggs belonged to the phenotype parasitizing the smallest host, Pallas's leaf warbler, where only one parent feeds the chicks. In our view, differences in egg sizes of Oriental cuckoo phenotypes provide evidence of their adaptations to brood parasitism on small leaf warbler species.en
dc.format.extent9
dc.format.extent256412
dc.language.isoeng
dc.relation.ispartofJournal of Zoology
dc.subjectCuculus optatus
dc.subjectPhylloscopus
dc.subjectadaptation
dc.subjectbrood parasitism
dc.subjectcuckoos
dc.subjectegg size
dc.subjectEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
dc.subjectAnimal Science and Zoology
dc.titleHost species determines egg size in Oriental cuckooen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of Hertfordshire
dc.contributor.institutionCrop Protection and Climate Change
dc.contributor.institutionAgriculture and Environmental Management Research
dc.description.statusPeer reviewed
dc.date.embargoedUntil2019-07-02
dc.identifier.urlhttp://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85050758972&partnerID=8YFLogxK
rioxxterms.versionofrecord10.1111/jzo.12583
rioxxterms.typeJournal Article/Review
herts.preservation.rarelyaccessedtrue


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