Does a cuckoo know it's a cuckoo? The answer is more difficult than you might think, explains Richard Pallardy ...

Avian brood parasitism is a fascinating reproductive strategy wherein parasitic birds, such as the common cuckoo, lay their eggs in the nests of other avian species. This deceptive tactic forces ...

One of the most interesting topics discussed in my Ornithology class was about the “con artists” found in nature… Brood parasitism occurs when a female bird (the parasite) lays her eggs in the nest of ...

Parenting can be lots of work for a bird: all that flying back and forth transporting grubs and insects to a nest of demanding young. But some birds manage to forgo caring for their chicks — while ...

Female lineages of European cuckoos lay eggs with colorful shells and intricate patterns specialized to deceive more than 100 avian hosts into fostering their chicks. Parasitic cuckoo eggshells show ...

Every spring I get reports from astonished readers describing a small bird feeding a much larger, obviously begging chick. Can you explain this, readers ask. The answer is “brood parasitism.” ...

Brood parasitism among females of the same species is common in certain fishes, insects, and birds, including coots. Host parents bear a high reproductive cost when raising chicks that are not their ...

An adult coot can recognize its own chicks and will attack a parasitic chick that hatches in its nest. Photo by B. Lyon. The American coot is a drab, seemingly unremarkable marsh bird common ...

This is a preview. Log in through your library . Abstract In host–parasite arms races, hosts can evolve signatures of identity to enhance the detection of parasite mimics. In theory, signatures are ...