Do Parasitic Cuckoos Evolve Faster Than Non-Parasitic Ones?

Plants and Animals





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Cuckoo chick. francesco de marco/shutterstock

Brood parasites like cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds – a costly interaction that has led to the evolution of host defenses, followed by reciprocal counter-adaptations in parasites. This rapidly evolving arms race has resulted in noticeable changes in just a few decades. According to new findings published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, parasitic cuckoos have faster rates of plumage and egg evolution than non-parasitic cuckoos.