Common cuckoo

The common cuckoo is a migratory Eurasian bird whose females lay eggs in other birds’ nests, leaving host parents to raise the chicks.

Brood parasitism: A reproductive strategy in which an animal leaves its offspring to be raised by members of another species. The common cuckoo is a classic example of this reproductive strategy.
Reed warbler: A Eurasian songbird that breeds in reed beds and is a frequent host of common cuckoos. Its nests are a well-studied setting for cuckoo egg laying and host defense.
Cuculidae: The bird family that includes cuckoos, coucals, roadrunners, and their relatives. The common cuckoo belongs to this diverse family.
Brood parasite host defense: Behavioral and physical adaptations that reduce the reproductive costs of brood parasitism. Hosts may inspect, reject, or abandon nests threatened by cuckoo eggs.
Egg mimicry: An adaptation in which an egg resembles the eggs of another species or population. Female cuckoos lay eggs resembling those of their particular host species.
Dunnock: A small Eurasian songbird that commonly nests in dense vegetation. Dunnocks are common cuckoo hosts, though their eggs differ from the cuckoo eggs laid in many other hosts’ nests.
Cuculus: A genus of Old World cuckoos that includes the common cuckoo and several close relatives. The common cuckoo is one member of this genus.
Egg recognition: A bird’s ability to distinguish its own eggs from those laid by another individual or species. Recognition can determine whether a host accepts or rejects a cuckoo egg.
Common cuckoo chick ejection: The behavior by which a newly hatched common cuckoo pushes host eggs or chicks out of the nest. Ejection leaves the parasite as the sole recipient of host care.
Meadow pipit: A ground-nesting Eurasian songbird found in open grassland and upland habitats. It is one of the host species targeted by common cuckoos.

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