BIOL 1162

The Adaptation of Egg Mimicry in Cuckoos

By: Lauren Caves

TA: Anna Hawkins

3/15/2015

Egg mimicry is the act of a brood parasite laying an egg in one of approximately eight different species of birds nest, destroying the other eggs, and having the host bird raise offspring that is genetically non-identical to their own. Cuckoos and other brood parasites use egg mimicry to increase the number of offspring that are raised. This is important because it gives researchers a look at bird development, adaptation, and intelligence in different species of birds. How cuckoos are able to lay these different colored eggs remains a mystery to researchers, and the accuracy at which different cuckoos are able to copy a host egg has created an evolutionary arms …show more content…
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