Abstract
A common reproductive strategy among some egg-laying animals, especially birds, is to lay an egg in another individual's nest and thereby parasitize the reproductive effort of others of either the same species or a different species. Intraspecific parasitism is now known to occur regularly in some species 1–4 and sporadically in many others5,6, and may represent a strategy by which individuals augment their reproductive performance2 or succeed in reproducing when it would otherwise be impossible or too costly5. We have discovered that colonial cliff swallows (Hirundo pyrrhonota) not only lay eggs in other individuals' nests, but also physically transfer eggs between nests after the eggs are laid. Egg transfers can occur at any time after an egg is laid and before it hatches, and may represent a strategy by which an individual distributes its eggs in several nests to ensure some surviving offspring in the event of nesting failures. Sneaky transfer of eggs between nests represents a previously unknown form of reproductive parasitism in birds.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersson, M. & Eriksson, M. O. G. Am. Nat. 120, 1–16 (1982).
Brown, C. R. Science 224, 518–519 (1984).
Emlen, S. T. & Wrege, P. H. Ethology 71, 2–29 (1986).
Power, H. W., Litovich, E. & Lombardo, M. P. Auk 98, 386–388 (1981).
Andersson, M. in Producers and Scroungers: Strategies of Exploitation and Parasitism (ed. Barnard, C. J.) 195–228 (Croom Helm, London, 1984).
Yom-Tov, Y. Biol. Rev. 55, 93–108 (1980).
Brown, C. R. Science 234, 83–85 (1986).
American Ornithologist's Union, Check-list of North American Birds 6th edn, (Lawrence, Kansas, 1983).
Feare, C. The Starling (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1984).
Friedmann, H. The Cowbirds (Thomas Springfield, Illinois, 1929).
Hamilton, W. J. III & Orians, G. H. Condor 67, 361–382 (1965)
Brown, C. R. thesis, Univ. Princeton, (1985).
Gillespie, J. H. Genetics 76, 601–606 (1974).
Payne, R. B. A. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 8, 1–28 (1977).
Blomme, C. Ontario Field Biol. 37, 34–35 (1983).
Truslow, F. K. Living Bird 6, 227–236 (1967).
Trost, C. H. & Webb, C. L. Anim. Behav. 34, 294–295 (1986).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brown, C., Brown, M. A new form of reproductive parasitism in cliff swallows. Nature 331, 66–68 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/331066a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/331066a0
This article is cited by
-
Nest Integration: a novel form of food acquisition by altricial fledglings
Evolutionary Ecology (2023)
-
Opportunity is not everything: genetic monogamy and limited brood parasitism in a colonial woodpecker
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (2022)
-
Conspecific brood parasitism in an upland-nesting bird: cues parasites use to select a nest
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (2020)
-
Barn swallows prefer to nest at sites hidden from neighboring nests within a loose colony
Journal of Ethology (2007)
-
How many eggs should be laid in one's own nest and others’ in intra‐specific brood parasitism?
Population Ecology (2004)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.