Regional Variation in Response of Field Sparrows to the Threat of Brown-headed Cowbird Parasitism

Abstract

We conducted aggression experiments using model cowbirds on nesting Field Sparrows (Spizella pusilla) in heavily, moderately, and rarely parasitized populations. We also documented Field Sparrow morning nest arrival times during the laying period, because Field Sparrows appear to desert nests in response to encounters with laying female cowbirds. Field Sparrows responded most aggressively to cowbird models and arrived the earliest in Illinois, where they were most heavily parasitized. Field Sparrows responded the least to models in Pennsylvania, where they are almost never parasitized. Our results suggest that those host behaviors result from some aspect of host–cowbird interactions, but the extent to which such behaviors are genetic or learned needs further study.