Brood Parasitism
Embed This Widget
Add the script tag and a data attribute to embed this widget.
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/birdfyi-embed@1/dist/embed.min.js" defer></script>
<div data-birdfyi="glossary" data-slug="brood-parasitism"></div>Embed via iframe for maximum compatibility.
<iframe src="https://birdfyi.com/iframe/glossary/brood-parasitism/" width="420" height="400" frameborder="0" style="border:0;border-radius:10px;max-width:100%" loading="lazy"></iframe>Paste this URL in WordPress, Medium, or any oEmbed-compatible platform.
https://birdfyi.com/glossary/brood-parasitism/Add a dynamic SVG badge to your README or docs.
[](https://birdfyi.com/glossary/brood-parasitism/)Use the native HTML custom element.
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/birdfyi-embed@1/dist/embed.min.js" defer></script>
<birdfyi-glossary slug="brood-parasitism"></birdfyi-glossary>Définition
Laying eggs in the nest of another species, which then raises the parasite's young as its own.
Explication détaillée
The Common Cuckoo is the paradigmatic brood parasite, with distinct host-specific genetic lineages (gentes) laying mimetic eggs that match the eggs of reed warblers, meadow pipits, or dunnocks. The cuckoo chick hatches first and ejects host eggs or nestlings. Hosts evolve egg-recognition defenses, driving an arms race of increasing mimicry. Cowbirds in the Americas parasitize over 200 host species without egg mimicry, relying instead on rapid host-switching to outpace host defenses.