| Concept/Content |
kin recognition / nest parasitism by American cowbird of pale-headed brush finch |
| Information caption |
American cowbirds (here) and European cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other species, where the host birds raise the chicks as if kin. Such parasitism exploits the limits of an evolved system of kin detection, apparently based indirectly on nest location rather than detection of any direct genetic relatedness. |
| Inquiry caption |
American cowbirds (here) and European cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other species, where the host birds raise the chicks as if kin. What makes this nest parasitism possible?
Target Concept: Organisms can determine kin relatedness in many ways, sometimes by indirect cues. |
| Photographer |
H. Martin Schaefer |
| Credit |
Courtesy of © H. Martin Schaefer |
| SIZE in pixels [file size] |
470x420 |
