<p>Nestlings of the common cuckoo (<i>Cuculus canorus</i>) are potentially more detectable to predators compared to host nestlings. Thus, cuckoo nestlings exhibit active defence mechanisms, including emitting distress calls. This study involved playback experiments of distress calls from both cuckoo and host nestlings to adult birds from three sympatric host species: the primary host, the oriental reed warbler (<i>Acrocephalus orientalis)</i>, the non-parasitised vinous-throated parrotbill (<i>Sinosuthora webbiana)</i>, and the incidental host, the reed parrotbill (<i>Paradoxornis heudei</i>). The results indicated that the warbler exhibited no remarkable difference in nest-leaving behavior or delay in response upon hearing cuckoo and its own nestlings’ distress calls, except in the duration spent within 1&#xa0;m of the speaker. Conversely, the vinous-throated parrotbill and reed parrotbill showed stronger reactions to their own nestlings’ distress calls than to those of cuckoo nestlings. Although the distress calls of cuckoo nestlings conveyed a danger signal to the sympatric hosts, the sympatric hosts responded differently, that is, it more effectively stimulated the brooding primary host, the warbler, to leave the nest and approach the sound source. The differential host responses may be related to parasitism pressure. Additionally, we assessed the effect of these distress calls of cuckoo and the warbler nestlings on potential mammalian predators, specifically stray cats (<i>Felis catus</i>). The cats displayed remarkable startle and avoidance behaviors when presented with cuckoo nestlings’ distress calls, supporting the startle-predator hypothesis. However, the universality of cuckoo nestlings’ distress calls to intimidate predators needs further study.</p>