Can I! The black-headed duck Heteronetta atricapilla Many, but not all, memebers of family Cuculidae, the cuckoos. Edit: the brood parasites in this family are the entirety of tribe Cuculini (57 species) as well as the 4 species of genus Clamator in tribe Phaenicophaeini. Both tribes are part of subfamily Cuculinae. None of the Americas' cuckoos exhibit this behaviour. The 20 species of whydah, indigobird and cuckoo-finch of family Viduidae The 16 species of honeyguide, family Indicatoridae All 6 species of cowbird, genus Molothrus, as previously mentioned, from family Icteridae. The above are brood parasites which lay their eggs in other species' nests. This is an exhaustive list. The only brood parasites native to North America are the brown-headed, bronzed and (since the early 1990s) shiny cowbird (FL only). The pin-tailed whydah (Vidua macrura) is a feral bird in Southern CA where it parasitises the (also feral) scale-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata). There is a fascinatingly wide variety of behaviour within the brood parasitism model. Eurasian cuckoos hatch before their foster-parents' eggs and methodically shove them out of the nest. A hatchling honeyguide uses a special hook on its bill to kill its nest-mates. An Asian koel will often be raised alongside its hosts' young with both species fledging successfully A black-headed duckling leaves the host nest almost as soon as it has hatched and receives no care from its foster parents post-hatching, being completely independent from the start. If you are interested in brood parasitism within the same species there are many more culprits; there are records of dozens of bird species sneaking their eggs into another nest of their own kind. It is particularly common in waterfowl as mentioned already. And of course I would be remiss not to mention that brood parasitism has also been observed in species of insects incuding bumblebees of subgenus Psithyrus, the wasp Polistes sulcifer and the amzing parasitic butterfly Phengarus rebelli whose larvae emit chemicals that cause ants to bring them into their nests and feed them as they would their own young. There are also brood parasitic fish such as the catfish Synodontis multipunctatus of Lake Tanganyika and the Japanese minnow Pungtungia herzi Answer from wikigreenwood82 on reddit.com
Audubon
audubon.org › home page › news › the brilliant ways parasitic birds terrorize their victims
The Brilliant Ways Parasitic Birds Terrorize Their Victims | Audubon
March 21, 2025 - In the dramatic clip above, a newborn Common Cuckoo wiggles its way around the Reed Warbler’s nest, using its shoulders and back to push out all three of the host’s eggs. Brood parasites, it seems, are basically born evil—the honeyguide, ...
Nature
nature.com › scitable › knowledge › library › the-ecology-of-avian-brood-parasitism-14724491
The Ecology of Avian Brood Parasitism | Learn Science at Scitable
The resulting coevolutionary arms ... laying of one's eggs in the nest of another individual, is a reproductive strategy whereby parasites foist the cost of rearing their offspring onto another individual, the host (Davies 2000)....
Videos
NestWatch
nestwatch.org › home › faqs › what are brood parasites?
What are brood parasites? - NestWatch
October 15, 2024 - Brood parasites are birds that lay eggs in other species’ nests. North America’s most common brood parasite is the Brown-headed Cowbird. Shiny Cowbirds and Bronzed Cowbirds also occur in localized areas of the southernmost United States and Caribbean. There are more species that are considered ...
Science of Birds
scienceofbirds.com › blog › what-is-brood-parasitism-in-birds
What Is Brood Parasitism in Birds?
The parasite female flies away and never sees her offspring. The host bird or birds are fooled into raising the foreign chick as their own. The brood parasite seems to get a pretty sweet deal: she doesn’t have to spend energy and time raising her own chicks.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/ornithology › can anyone provide me with a list of brood parasite species?
r/Ornithology on Reddit: Can anyone provide me with a list of brood parasite species?
January 8, 2023 -
I'm not looking for an exhaustive list. Mainly north America and even then it doesn't have to be every species! I just need plenty of examples lol. I know the obvious ones like cuckoos and cowbirds but can't find information on many more.
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Can I! The black-headed duck Heteronetta atricapilla Many, but not all, memebers of family Cuculidae, the cuckoos. Edit: the brood parasites in this family are the entirety of tribe Cuculini (57 species) as well as the 4 species of genus Clamator in tribe Phaenicophaeini. Both tribes are part of subfamily Cuculinae. None of the Americas' cuckoos exhibit this behaviour. The 20 species of whydah, indigobird and cuckoo-finch of family Viduidae The 16 species of honeyguide, family Indicatoridae All 6 species of cowbird, genus Molothrus, as previously mentioned, from family Icteridae. The above are brood parasites which lay their eggs in other species' nests. This is an exhaustive list. The only brood parasites native to North America are the brown-headed, bronzed and (since the early 1990s) shiny cowbird (FL only). The pin-tailed whydah (Vidua macrura) is a feral bird in Southern CA where it parasitises the (also feral) scale-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata). There is a fascinatingly wide variety of behaviour within the brood parasitism model. Eurasian cuckoos hatch before their foster-parents' eggs and methodically shove them out of the nest. A hatchling honeyguide uses a special hook on its bill to kill its nest-mates. An Asian koel will often be raised alongside its hosts' young with both species fledging successfully A black-headed duckling leaves the host nest almost as soon as it has hatched and receives no care from its foster parents post-hatching, being completely independent from the start. If you are interested in brood parasitism within the same species there are many more culprits; there are records of dozens of bird species sneaking their eggs into another nest of their own kind. It is particularly common in waterfowl as mentioned already. And of course I would be remiss not to mention that brood parasitism has also been observed in species of insects incuding bumblebees of subgenus Psithyrus, the wasp Polistes sulcifer and the amzing parasitic butterfly Phengarus rebelli whose larvae emit chemicals that cause ants to bring them into their nests and feed them as they would their own young. There are also brood parasitic fish such as the catfish Synodontis multipunctatus of Lake Tanganyika and the Japanese minnow Pungtungia herzi
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I don't know if this countsfornwhat you are looking for since it occurs within the species, but this is from the All About Birds page for Wood Ducks: "Egg-dumping, or "intraspecific brood parasitism" is common in Wood Ducks—females visit other Wood Duck cavities, lay eggs in them, and leave them to be raised by the other female."
Fernbank Science Center
fernbank.edu › birding › parasitism.htm
Obligate brood parasites
Birds are well known for their ... themselves. However, certain birds, known as brood parasites, lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and do not provide any parental care for their own offspring....
National Geographic
nationalgeographic.com › home › animals › these animal mothers expect other species to raise their young
These animal mothers expect other species to raise their young | National Geographic
May 8, 2026 - Some birds and other animals are 'brood parasites' whose mothers leave their offspring with other species.
Field Museum
fieldmuseum.org › blog › brood-parasitism-host-lists
Brood Parasitism—Host Lists - Field Museum
February 1, 2011 - Brood parasitism is an awkward term to describe an interaction between two species in which, as in predator-prey relationships, one species gains at the expense of the other.
ScienceDirect
sciencedirect.com › topics › biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology › brood-parasite
Brood Parasite - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Brood parasites are organisms that lay their eggs in the nests of other species, causing the host's parents to rear their offspring, often resulting in intense begging behavior from the parasite's nestling that competes for food with the host's own young.
Answers in Genesis
answersingenesis.org › biology › evolution-doesnt-explain-brood-parasitism-cowbird
Brood Parasitism | Answers in Genesis
January 12, 2024 - In this form of parasitism, the parasite does not directly parasitize the host. Instead, it lays its eggs in the host’s nest, allowing the host to raise young that are not directly related to them.
Study.com
study.com › science courses › life science: middle school
Brood Parasitism Definition, Types & Examples | Study.com
It is a pervasive type of relationship occurring in several species of plants and animals. Brood parasitism, which commonly manifests in birds, is a reproductive strategy characterized by laying one's eggs (parasite) into the nest of another (host).
Hitchcock Center for the Environment
hitchcockcenter.org › earth-matters › brood-parasites
Brood parasites are more innovative survivors than evildoers
June 30, 2023 - Maybe you saw a parent bird feeding a chick larger than itself, and different in color and shape. What you saw was a brood parasite, an animal that fools animals of other species into caring for its offspring, usually at the expense of the host species’ own young.
ScienceDirect
sciencedirect.com › topics › biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology › brood-parasitism
Brood Parasitism - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Brood parasitism is defined as a reproductive strategy where certain bird species lay their eggs in the nests of other host birds, which may include the removal of the host's eggs to enhance the hatching success of their own.
Knowable Magazine
knowablemagazine.org › content › article › living-world › 2024 › the-clever-ways-that-brood-parasites-trick-other-birds
The clever ways that brood parasites trick other birds | Knowable Magazine
October 2, 2024 - And somewhere in there, the birds are finding balance: tactical tradeoffs that allow both parasite and host to persist. ... Sofia Quaglia is a freelance journalist writing about all things science and nature, and how we talk about them. Her work regularly appears in New Scientist, the Guardian, the New York Times, BBC, National Geographic and more. Republish This Article ... This 2008 review explores a subset of brood parasitism, wherein birds lay eggs in the nests of other birds of their own species.
Amateur Entomologists' Society
amentsoc.org › insects › glossary › terms › brood-parasitism
Brood parasitism - Entomologists' glossary - Amateur Entomologists' Society (AES)
Brood parasitoids are parasites that kill the host's offspring during the course of their own development.
Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › science › brood-parasitism
Brood parasitism | zoology | Britannica
April 4, 2026 - About 50 species of cuckoos, including ... Neomorphinae, exhibit brood parasitism (that is, they lay their eggs in the nests of other species, which then rear the young cuckoos)....
ScienceDirect
sciencedirect.com › science › article › abs › pii › S1471492221000337
Brood Parasites Are a Heterogeneous and Functionally Distinct Class of Natural Enemies - ScienceDirect
March 5, 2021 - Brood parasitism is the introduction of unrelated progeny into the nest or colony of a host that then raises the foreign young. This reproductive stra…
Sun Tracks
uapress.arizona.edu › book › cowbirds-and-other-brood-parasites
Cowbirds and Other Brood Parasites | UAPress
July 12, 2017 - The Brown-headed Cowbird is known ... of some migratory songbird populations. These brood parasites—birds that lay their eggs in the nests of others—have long flourished ......
Victoria Advocate
victoriaadvocate.com › home › nature notes: brood parasitism: interesting phenomenon among birds
Nature Notes: Brood parasitism: interesting phenomenon among birds | The Victoria Advocate
September 7, 2025 - One of the most interesting topics discussed in my Ornithology class was about the “con artists” found in nature… Brood parasitism occurs when a female bird (the parasite) lays her eggs in the nest of another female bird (the host), who then raises both her and the parasite’s eggs.