This chapter discusses the taxonomic relationships of brood parasites and their distribution
through tribes, families and higher taxa, providing information about their breeding biology …

Maternal inheritance via the female-specific W chromosome was long ago proposed as a
potential solution to the evolutionary enigma of co-existing host-specific races (or 'gentes') in …

In Europe, eggs of the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) have been found in more than
125 different host species. However, very few species are frequently parasitized. The …

Different populations of a host species subject to variable patterns of selection due to cuckoo
parasitism provide an optimal situation for studying natural selection and coevolution in …

Hosts of brood parasites may vary geographically in their ability to resist parasitism. In
contrast, geographic variation in defenses, such as egg rejection, is not expected to be …

Comparative studies of egg recognition and rejection between various sympatric hosts
provide insight into the coevolutionary history of the hosts and parasites, as well as the …

Species facing similar selection pressures should recognize heterospecific alarm signals.
However, no study has so far examined heterospecific alarm-call recognition in response to …

Morphological resemblance of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus to the Eurasian
sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus has been regarded as an example of predator mimicry …

As the frontline defense against avian brood parasitism, nest defense is important in
reducing nest parasitism and increasing host fitness. However, systematic studies on its …

Amid coevolutionary arms races between brood parasitic birds and their diverse host
species, the formation of host‐specific races, or gentes, has drawn significant research …