Dazzled and confused? Habituation and sensitization in free-living Yellow Warblers

Ospiti e preferenze del Cuculo Comune Cuculus canorus in Italia

Individual learning in the refinement of nest defence responses of the Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia)

Old versus new world: adaptive significance of nest defence in two brood parasitism systems

Enemy recognition of Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus): threats and reproductive value act independently in nest defence modulation

Organisms should respond more aggressively towards species perceived as a danger to their offspring, but intensity of defence may be gauged by the value of current offspring weighed against the value of future reproductive opportunities. We tested whether defensive responses of nesting reed warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) are the result of an interaction effect between the type of stimulus confronted and the value of the warbler’s nesting attempt. We quantified the ability of reed warblers to discriminate among brood parasites, nestling predators and non-threatening species at different stages of the breeding cycle. We also determined whether variables that influence the value of offspri…