Question

What is brood parasitism? Give an example. What adaptation has evolved in this phenomenon?

Answer 1

Explanation:

For most animals (and people), having babies goes hand in hand with the responsibility of raising and feeding them. Imagine, though, if an animal had its baby and tricked another animal into raising it for them. In fact, this is exactly the strategy used by some species of birds. It is known as brood parasitism because a nest of baby birds is called a brood. Brood parasitism is when a bird lays its eggs in the nest of another bird. The host bird (as the owner of the nest is called) is then responsible for raising and feeding the parasite bird chick. This means the parasite bird can lay more eggs in a season than it might otherwise, but the host bird's chicks suffer as a