Editing Cuckoo (section)

===== Evolutionary arms race between cuckoo and host =====
Since obligate brood parasites need to successfully trick their host for them to reproduce, they have evolved adaptations at several stages of breeding. High costs of parasitism are exerted on the host, leading to strong selections on the host to recognize and reject parasitic eggs. The adaptations and counter-adaptations between hosts and parasites have led to a coevolution "arms race". This means that if one of the species involved were to stop adapting, it would lose the race to the other species, resulting in decreased fitness of the losing species.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Spottiswoode |first1=Claire N. |author1-link= Claire Spottiswoode |last2=Stevens |first2=Martin|date=May 2012 |title=Host-parasite arms races and rapid changes in bird egg appearance |journal=The American Naturalist |volume=179 |issue=5 |pages=633–648 |doi=10.1086/665031|pmid=22504545|bibcode=2012ANat..179..633S |hdl=11427/34950|s2cid=10287985|hdl-access=free }}</ref> The egg-stage adaptation is the best studied stage of this arms race.

Cuckoos have various strategies for getting their eggs into host nests. Different species use different strategies based on host defensive strategies. Female cuckoos have secretive and fast laying behaviors, but in some cases, males have been shown to lure host adults away from their nests so that the females can lay their eggs in the nest.<ref name=Davies>{{cite journal |last=Davies |first=N.B. |title=Cuckoo adaptations: trickery and tuning |journal=Journal of Zoology |date=2011 |volume=284 |pages=1–14 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00810.x|doi-access=free }}</ref> Some host species may directly try to prevent cuckoos laying eggs in their nest in the first place – birds whose nests are at high risk of cuckoo-contamination are known to "mob" attack cuckoos to drive them out of the area.<ref>{{Cite journal| first1=D.| title=Co-evolution: A Behavioral 'Spam Filter' to Prevent Nest Parasitism| journal=Current Biology| volume=19| issue=4| last1=Wheatcroft| pages=R170–R171| date=Feb 2009 | issn=0960-9822| pmid=19243694| doi=10.1016/j.cub.2008.12.034| s2cid=10357373| doi-access=free| bibcode=2009CBio...19.R170W}}</ref> Parasitic cuckoos are grouped into [[Gens (behaviour)|gentes]], with each gens specializing in a particular host. Some evidence suggests that the gentes are genetically different from one another.

[[File:Brush Cuckoo Oct 2007.JPG|thumb|{{audio|Brush Cuckoo song Nov2007.ogg|The call}} of the [[brush cuckoo]] ]]