Oxford Ornithology Series Parasitic Birds and Their Hosts

Presents a comprehensive overview of the diverse kinds of birds and interactions involved in avian brood parasitism. This phenomenon has attracted the interests of naturalists and evolutionists since Darwin. The amount of work being done on parasitic birds has grown as numerous researchers have begun to pursue the study of these birds. This book is the first to present a copmprehensive overview of the diverse kinds of birds and interactions involved in avian brood parasitism. This phenomenon has attracted the interests of naturalists and evolutionists since Darwin, yet very few researchers applied modern evolutionary theory and experimental methods to the study of the adaptations for and against brood parasitism by parasitic birds and their hosts until 25 years ago. The amount of work being done on parasitic birds has grown at an accelerating rate in the last decade as numerous researchers have begun to pursue the study of these birds.