Obligate avian brood parasites depend entirely on heterospecific hosts for rearing their
offspring. From hatching until independence, the young parasites must deal with the …

Obligate brood parasites neither build their own nests nor rear their offspring. Instead, they
lay their eggs in nests of individuals of other species (hosts) that take care of the parasite's …

The mutually antagonistic processes producing adaptations and counter-adaptations in
avian brood parasites and their hosts provide a model system for the study of coevolution; …

In young birds, the intensity of the begging signal varies according to the chick's internal
condition (ie, hunger or nutritional state) but may be additionally modulated by the external …

Parasites often manipulate host behaviors to achieve their own selfish fitness goals.
However, the efficiency with which parasitic begging calls solicit foster parental care has not …

The existence of a brood parasitic nestling in a host nest implies an intrusion in the parent–
offspring communication system, which will have important implications in both food delivery …

Coevolutionary interactions between avian brood parasites and their hosts often lead to the
evolution of discrimination and rejection of parasite eggs or chicks by hosts based on visual …

Young birds communicate their need to parents through complex begging displays that
include visual and acoustic cues. Nestlings of interspecific brood parasites must 'tune'into …

Many hosts of obligate brood parasitic birds invest more in parasitic nestlings than they do in
their own young. The shiny cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis, a generalist parasite, is fed at a …

Young of altricial brood parasites are fully dependent on their foster parents for a
considerable period of time before being able to survive on their own. Therefore, they are …