A reed warbler raising a cuckoo. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
A reed warbler raising a cuckoo. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
2,598 words
Brood parasitism describes a fascinating behavioral pattern in the animal kingdom in which a parasite species manipulates a host species into raising and feeding its young. As an evolutionary strategy, it’s highly effective since it relieves the parasite from having to expend resources doing it themselves. In one case, various species of cuckoo will lay eggs in the nests of, say, warblers or magpies, so their chicks will be hatched and fed alongside the host chicks despite differences in egg size and color. (more…)