Parasitic Birds and Their Hosts

Applies modern evolutionary theory and experimental methods to the study of the adaptations for and against brood parasitism by parasitic birds and their hosts. Papers are by individuals or research groups responsible for nearly every comprehensive study to appear in the last 10 years.

Preface; Dedication to Herbert Friedmann; Section 1 - Overview and Commentary; Ch. 1: The Evolution and Ecology of Brood Parasitism; Section 2 - Coevolution Between Cuckoos and Their Hosts; Ch. 2: Cuckoos Versus Hosts: Experimental Evidence for Coevolution; Ch. 3: Host Use and Egg Color of Japanese Cuckoos; Ch. 4: Coevolution Between the Common Cuckoo and Its Major Hosts in Japan: Stable Versus Dynamic Specialization on Hosts; Ch. 5: Duration of Sympatry and Coevolution Between the Great Spotted Cuckoo and its Primary Host, the Magpie; Ch. 6: Coevolution of the Great Spotted Cuckoo and its Hosts; Ch. 7: Behavior and Ecology of the Shining Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus; Ch. 8: Nestling Eviction and Vocal Behavior in the Australian Glossy Cuckoos Chrysococcyx Basalis and C. lucidus; Section 3 - Coevolution Between Cowbirds and Their Hosts; Ch. 9: Interactions of the Parasitic Screaming and Shiny Cowbirds with a Shared Host, the Bay-winged Cowbird; Ch. 10: Nest Defense by potential Hosts of the Brown-headed Cowbird: Methodological Approaches, Benefits of Defense, and Coevolution; Ch. 11: Impact of Brood Parasitism: Why do House Wrens Accept Shiny Cowbird Eggs?; Section 4 - Models of Parasite-Host Coevolution: Equilibrium Versus Lag; Ch. 12: Evolutionary Equilibria in Avian Brood Parasitism: An Alternative to the "Arms Race-Evolutionary Lag" Concept; Ch. 13: Coevolution Between Brood Parasites and Their Hosts: An Optimality Theory Approach; Ch. 14: Brood Parasitism, Recognition, and Response: The Options; Section 5 - Effects of Parasitism on Host Population Dynamics; Ch. 15: Consequences of Brown-headed Cowbird Brood Parasitism for Host Population Dynamics; Ch. 16: Spatial Variation in Parasitism of Song Sparrows by Brown-headed Cowbirds; Ch. 17: Potential Impoacts of Cowbird Range Expansion in Florida; Section 6 - Consequences of Parasitism for the Mating Systems and Life Histories of Brood Parasites; Ch. 18: Variability in the Mating Systems of Parasitic Birds; Section 7 - Conspecific Brood Parasitism; Ch. 19: Patterns of Parasitic Egg Laying and Typical Nesting in Redhead and Canvasback Ducks; Ch. 20: Quality Cotrol and the Important Questions in Avian Conspecific Parasitism; Ch. 21: Density-dependent Intraspecific Nest Parasitism and Anti-parasite Behavior in the Barn Swallow Hirundo Rustica; Ch. 22: Egg-discrimination and Egg-color Variability in the Northern Masked Weaver: The Importance of Conspecific Versus Interspecific Parasitism; Section 8 - Major Unresolved Questions; Ch. 23: Major Unanswered Questions in the Study of Avian Brood Parasitism