Bronzed cowbirds often lay their eggs in other birds’ nest. Brood parasites are some of the bird kingdom’s most notorious sneaks. They don’t rear their own young but instead pawn the task of child ...
Birds worldwide share a unique alarm call to warn each other about brood parasites like cuckoos. This vocalization, a blend ...
Smithsonian Magazine on MSN
Birds Make an Alarm Call That Spans Species and Continents—and May Offer Insight Into the Evolution of Human Language
More than 20 species make a nearly identical noise to warn nearby birds of brood parasites, a behavior that bridges the ...
Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Common cuckoos aren’t known for being model parents. Rather than ...
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 ...
Hawk mimicry in cuckoos and anti-parasitic aggressive behavior of barn swallows in Denmark and China
Hosts of brood parasites defend their nests against parasitism by aggression and subsequently, if parasitized, by rejection of the parasite egg or nestling. Cuckoos have evolved plumage mimicry with ...
Some cuckoos are born assassins. Within a day or two of hatching, the infant birds—still blind, pink, and featherless—will start to evict the other residents of their nest, hurling them over the edge ...
Researchers William Feeney, James Kennerley, Niki Teunissen have published a study that suggests over 20 species of birds ...
Egg-dumping refers to the behavior of a female who puts her eggs in another animal’s nest, leaving all other parental behavior to the host. Some animals are what you might call professional ...
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 ...
As many humans prepare to unwrap their Easter eggs, scientists have solved one of nature’s biggest criminal cases, an egg forgery scandal two million years in the making. Their findings suggest that ...
Clever birds figure out how to trick others into raising their kids A common Cuckoo chick in Reed Wablers nest waits to be fed with its mouth wide open, in this undated file photo. Getty Images — ...
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