Fig. 1 from the article: Average spectral reflectance and representative photos of Asian koel (black line) and host eggs for each geographic region

Fig. 4 from the article: Average absolute differences in pattern energies ± SE between Asian koel and host eggs for each geographic region (‘IPBS' = India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, (A); ‘MTI' = Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia, (B))

New paper: do Asian koels mimic their hosts’ eggs? Museum analyses show no mimicry of house crow eggs or host-specific types, but eggs resemble red-billed blue magpies and some crows, suggesting selective mimicry.

➡️ vist.ly/4vnqv

#ornithology #birds #broodparasitism #eggmimicry

How Parasitic Cuckoos Lay Host-Matching Eggs Whilst Remaining A Single Species Female lineages of European cuckoos lay eggs with colorful shells and intricate patterns specialized to deceive more than 100 avian hosts…

How Parasitic Cuckoos Lay Host-Matching Eggs Whilst Remaining A Single Species

#SciComm🧪 by @grrlscientist.bsky.social

#EggShellColor🥚 #SpeciesConcepts #ornithology🦉 #birds🪶 #Mimicry #evolution #ecology #BroodParasitism grrlscientist.medium.com/how-parasiti...

#ornithology #broodparasitism

How common cuckoos adapt to multiple hosts Genomic data reveal the complexity of egg mimicry evolution in cuckoos

New in this week's issue of Science -
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

#birds #cuckoos #broodparasitism

#ornithology #haiku #broodparasitism #scicomm

Global Study Finds Shared Alarm Call Unites Birds Against Parasites

Over 20 bird species on four continents share a nearly identical whining alarm call warning against brood parasites like cuckoos, reported in Nature Ecology & Evolution. getnews.me/global-study-finds-share... #birdcommunication #broodparasitism

This greedy little fledgling cowbird is pushing the limits of brood parasitism. These sparrows are working hard while he sits in the seeds he could be eating himself. I am just assuming it is a male 99% sure I am correct 😜 #birds #cowbird #broodparasitism

a cowbirds fledgling calls to it's parent to feed it. It's parent being a Yellow Warbler.

Demanding little Brown Headed Cowbird calls to it's parent for more food. It took me a bit before I realized the size difference.
Anyway, nature is beautiful and strange sometimes. 🦉🪶
#cowbird #yellowwarbler #birds #CanadianBirding #aurora #arboretum #turtleisland #Broodparasitism

Anakin Padme meme format, with Brown-headed Cowbird in place of Anakin and the European Cuckoo in the place of Padme discussing a means of getting host species to accept their brood parasitism. Illustrating the differential strategies of old world cuckoos that use egg and behavioral mimicry to trick hosts into accepting their eggs and Brown-headed Cowbirds who 'train' their hosts by using mafioso behavior and wrecking up nests of hosts that reject their eggs....

The differential strategies of brood parasites vis-a-vis old world cuckoos and the Brown-headed Cowbird....

#broodparasitism #birdwatching #birds #memes #birdmemes

Parasitized Red-breasted Merganser nest. Photo: Emilie Knighton

NEW PAPER: Red-breasted mergansers do not move parasitic eggs to cooler nest edges, suggesting limited use of discriminatory incubation against conspecific brood parasitism, though some eggs may be selectively removed.

➡️ vist.ly/3n59e4x

#ornithology #birds #broodparasitism #eggrejection 🪶

Brood Parasitism: A Reproductive Strategy or Nest Takeover | Researchatory

Birds trick others into raising their young. Explore egg mimicry and the evolutionary battle. #NatureExplained #AnimalBehavior #Ecology #WildlifeScience #Cuckoo #Cowbird #science #BroodParasitism #Ornithology #Evolution

American coots are also susceptible to #conspecific #broodparasitism! But because #evolution is real, coots have evolved mechanisms to identify which offspring are theirs and which are from parasitic females. Parents can reject parasite chicks by #pecking them vigorously!