I am interested in co-evolutionary processes. As a model system for this I study brood parasitic birds and their hosts. My study site is near my home in Lappeenranta,Finland. Especially, I am focused on cuckoo-redstart interactions which provide an opportunity to explore many interesting questions related to cuckoo parasitism. As a cavity nester redstarts are a peculiar cuckoo host: cuckoo females laying behaviour and cuckoo chicks eviction behaviour frequently result in failure. These phenomena shape host-parasite evolution by reducing the cost of parasitism and also the breeding success of cuckoos. I am trying to reveal both host adaptations and cuckoo counter-adaptations at both the egg and the chick stage. As a cuckoo chick is often raised in a mixed brood together with redstart chicks I would like to know: 1) What is the cost for raising a cuckoo chick? 2) How much young cuckoos suffer in a mixed brood 3) Is there any chick recognition system i.e. can redstarts discriminate an alien chick? My collaboration with the Centre for Ornithology is through joint project with Phill Cassey.

Recent Publications

Davies, NB, Madden, JR, Butchart, SHM, Rutila, J (2006) A host-race of the cuckoo Cuculus canorus with nestlings attuned to the   parental alarm calls of the host species PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 693-699

Rutila, J, Jokimaki, J, Aviles, JM, Kaisanlahti-Jokimaki, ML (2006) Responses of parasitized and unparasitized Common Redstart (Phoenicurus   phoenicurus) populations against artificial Cuckoo parasitism AUK 123: 259-265

Aviles, JM, Rutila, J, Moller, AP (2005) Should the redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus accept or reject cuckoo   Cuculus canorus eggs? BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGYPY 58: 608-617

Rutila, J. (2004) Brood parasitism in birds: coevolutionary adaptations in two cuckoo-host systems. PhD DISSERTATIONS IN BIOLOGY, NO 30, UNIVERSITY OF JOENSUU

Rutila, J, Latja, R, Koskela, K (2002) The common cuckoo Cuculus canorus and its cavity nesting host, the   redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus: a peculiar cuckoo-host system? JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY 33: 414-419