The European cuckoo is parasitic, not the North American ones. The cowbird fills the role here and is being heavily competed as a consumer of insects stirred up by cattle by the cattle egret, which blew over from Africa in the late 1930s.
A brood parasite that lays an egg in other bird’s nests. Interspecific brood-parasites include the indigobirds, whydahs, and honeyguides in Africa, cowbirds, Old World cuckoos, black-headed ducks, and some New World cuckoos in the Americas. … They usually lay only one egg per nest, although in some cases, particularly the cowbirds, several females may use the same host nest. Thanx Wikipedia.
Templo S.U.D. almost 7 years ago
okay… so what’s the bad news?
okieburd almost 7 years ago
Makes no sense.
J Short almost 7 years ago
I had that happen once; except it was a cowbird.
Nyckname almost 7 years ago
Clock it with a crowbar.
nosirrom almost 7 years ago
C. J. Cherryh had an interesting take on this in her novel “Cuckoo’s Egg”
Hippogriff almost 7 years ago
The European cuckoo is parasitic, not the North American ones. The cowbird fills the role here and is being heavily competed as a consumer of insects stirred up by cattle by the cattle egret, which blew over from Africa in the late 1930s.
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] almost 7 years ago
A brood parasite that lays an egg in other bird’s nests. Interspecific brood-parasites include the indigobirds, whydahs, and honeyguides in Africa, cowbirds, Old World cuckoos, black-headed ducks, and some New World cuckoos in the Americas. … They usually lay only one egg per nest, although in some cases, particularly the cowbirds, several females may use the same host nest. Thanx Wikipedia.