Nature Communications (Aug 2020)

Ecological uncertainty favours the diversification of host use in avian brood parasites

  • Nicholas D. Antonson,
  • Dustin R. Rubenstein,
  • Mark E. Hauber,
  • Carlos A. Botero

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18038-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

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Nearly 17% of all bird species are hosts to obligate brood parasites like the common cuckoo. Antonson et al. show that parasite species hedge their reproductive bets by outsourcing parental care to a greater variety of host species when the rearing environment for their young is more unpredictable.