Attachment

Download

Long-tailed cuckoos (Eudynamys taitensis) were studied on Little Barrier Island during three summers. The only species of host was the Whitehead (Mohoua albicilla). Rates of brood parasitism on the island were 18.1% overall, 35.7% at altitudes above 250 m, and 5.4% at altitudes below 250 m. The breeding season for cuckoos probably lasted for 4-6 weeks from mid-November, suggesting that early nests of the Whitehead escaped brood parasitism. The available information suggests that the major hosts of the cuckoo are the Whitehead, the Yellowhead, and possibly the Brown Creeper, although other hosts are used occasionally. As adult cuckoos call in small groups during the breeding season, I speculate that Long-tailed cuckoos may have a lek-type social organisation.