Camouflage–adaptations that prevent detection and/or recognition–is a key example of
evolution by natural selection, making it a primary focus in evolutionary ecology and animal …

Interactions between avian brood parasites, such as common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus),
and their hosts are one of the best‐studied examples of the coevolutionary arms race …

Highlights•Whether cuckoos can lay eggs matching host eggs is an unresolved
question.•We show that common cuckoos are indiscriminate in their choice of host …

Background Resemblance to raptors such as hawks (Accipiter spp.) is considered to be an
adaptive strategy of cuckoos (Cuculus spp.), which has evolved to protect cuckoos against …

Background Nest parasitism by cuckoos (Cuculus spp.) results in enormous reproductive
failure and forces hosts to evolve antiparasitic strategies, ie, recognition of own eggs and …

The egg laying behavior of brood parasites is at the heart of studies on host co-evolution.
Therefore, research on egg laying behavior can improve our understanding of brood …

A series of parasitic and anti-parasitic strategies has evolved during the long-term
coevolution between cuckoos and their hosts. The first stage of the arms race is host nest …

Brood parasites lay thick-shelled eggs and numerous hypotheses have been proposed to
explain the significance of this trait. We examined whether thick eggshells protect the …

The efficacy of nest-site choice ultimately determines the breeding success of birds.
Comparisons of the reproductive strategies of various bird species which inhabit the same …

Cuckoo nest parasites lay eggs in host nests and thereby transfer all reproduction costs to
the hosts. This greatly reduces host fitness. Parasitism has selected for the evolution of anti …