Female common cuckoo calls dampen the mobbing intensity of great reed warbler hosts (Marton et al. 2021, Ethology)

To test whether the female cuckoo's bubbling call has a negative effect on host mobbing intensity, we performed experimental trials at great reed warbler nests (<em>n</em> = 61), during the laying and early incubation stages, by placing 3D‐printed common cuckoo or dove models at the nest.<br><br>We recorded the mobbing behaviour of great reed warblers for 2 min upon discovering the cuckoo or dove decoy, after which we played back the female cuckoo's bubbling calls for the cuckoo decoy, or the call of the dove for the dove decoy. We subsequently counted the number of adult great reed warblers present during the trial and the numbers of different mobbing behaviours separately: “churr” alarm calls, bill snaps, pecks and physical contact attacks against the decoys per the 2‐min trials.为探究雌性大杜鹃（Common Cuckoo）的冒泡式鸣叫是否会对寄主鸟类的围攻强度产生负面影响，我们在大苇莺（Great Reed Warbler）的巢（样本量<em>n</em> = 61）中开展实验，实验时段覆盖产卵期与孵化早期，操作方式为在巢旁放置3D打印的普通大杜鹃或斑鸠（Dove）模型诱饵。 我们在大苇莺发现杜鹃或斑鸠诱饵后的2分钟内，记录其围攻行为；随后针对放置杜鹃诱饵的实验组，回放雌性大杜鹃的冒泡式鸣叫，针对放置斑鸠诱饵的实验组，则回放斑鸠的鸣叫声。 后续我们分别统计了实验期间在场的成年大苇莺数量，以及各类围攻行为的发生频次：每2分钟实验时段内，针对诱饵发出的“churr”（颤鸣）告警鸣叫、喙部叩击、啄击以及与诱饵发生肢体接触的攻击行为次数。