What is a brood parasite in birds?
Quick Answer
A brood parasite is a bird that lays its eggs in another bird’s nest and leaves the host to raise the chicks. The best-known example is the common cuckoo.
The Full Story
Brood parasitism is a reproductive strategy in which one bird depends on another species to incubate its eggs and feed its young. In the common cuckoo, the female may lay a single egg in a host nest, and the chick often hatches quickly and may eject the host’s eggs or chicks. This strategy has evolved independently in several bird groups, including cuckoos, cowbirds, and honeyguides. Host birds have in turn evolved defenses such as recognizing foreign eggs and mobbing parasitic adults.
Key Facts
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"The sneaky bird that gets other birds to raise its chicks"
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