Social Parasitism in Birds

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Abstract
This article is a review and abstract of the sub-ject which is presented in detail in the author''s book, which was still in press at the date of this paper. The parasitic habit occurs in 5 distinct and unrelated groups of birds (ducks, cuckoos, cowbirds, weavers, and honey-guides) and probably originated in different ways in each. The cowbirds are discussed in greater detail than the others and the origin of the habit in that group shown to be connected with the loss of the territorial protecting instincts of the cf. The loss of this instinct is in turn an apparent result of the original reduction in importance of the territory with respect to the nest itself in the primitive, non-parasitic cowbird stock. Evidence is produced to show that other factors were operative in the case of the cuckoos, as their peculiar host-specificity is dependent on high development of territorial instincts.

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