Cuckoo chicks can mimic their host's calls
Written on Sunday, August 3rd 2008 at 1:31 pm by alexThe chicks of the Cuckoo bird are apparently able to change their call, or voice, to mimic that of the bird's nest they're living in. This is because the mother Cuckoo bird lays her eggs in other bird's nests. When the baby Cuckoo birds hatch, they kick out the other baby chicks and mimic their calls. This way the mother will take care of the baby Cuckoo chicks.
New research shows that these Cuckoo birds can change their calls based on the nest of the host. This means it wouldn't matter what next the eggs are in, since the chicks can mimic multiple bird calls.
Females of the Horsfield's bronze-cuckoo (Chalcites basalis), usually lay their eggs in the nests of fairy-wrens, but will sometimes lay them in the nests of other species including thornbills and robins. Chicks that hatch in a fairy-wren nest are known to copy that species' short "cheep cheep" begging call, while chicks that hatch in the nests of thornbills imitate the thornbill's long, rasping whine. - View comments...
New research shows that these Cuckoo birds can change their calls based on the nest of the host. This means it wouldn't matter what next the eggs are in, since the chicks can mimic multiple bird calls.
Females of the Horsfield's bronze-cuckoo (Chalcites basalis), usually lay their eggs in the nests of fairy-wrens, but will sometimes lay them in the nests of other species including thornbills and robins. Chicks that hatch in a fairy-wren nest are known to copy that species' short "cheep cheep" begging call, while chicks that hatch in the nests of thornbills imitate the thornbill's long, rasping whine. - View comments...
Related articles
Comments
November 8th 2008 @ 3:56 pm
Romualda
November 8th 2008 @ 6:35 pm
November 8th 2008 @ 7:40 pm
November 8th 2008 @ 11:12 pm
November 9th 2008 @ 4:32 pm
November 9th 2008 @ 7:12 pm
November 9th 2008 @ 8:49 pm
November 10th 2008 @ 6:15 am
November 10th 2008 @ 10:23 am
November 10th 2008 @ 2:41 pm
November 10th 2008 @ 4:49 pm
November 10th 2008 @ 5:27 pm
November 10th 2008 @ 6:30 pm
November 10th 2008 @ 9:25 pm
November 11th 2008 @ 12:05 am
November 11th 2008 @ 1:24 am
November 11th 2008 @ 2:52 am
November 11th 2008 @ 9:16 am
November 11th 2008 @ 1:21 pm
November 11th 2008 @ 6:37 pm
November 11th 2008 @ 9:23 pm
November 12th 2008 @ 1:55 am
November 12th 2008 @ 3:18 am
November 12th 2008 @ 5:32 am
November 12th 2008 @ 10:48 am
November 12th 2008 @ 5:42 pm
November 14th 2008 @ 5:23 am
November 14th 2008 @ 5:56 am
November 14th 2008 @ 6:30 am
November 14th 2008 @ 7:36 am
November 14th 2008 @ 5:07 pm
November 14th 2008 @ 6:08 pm
November 16th 2008 @ 8:09 am
November 16th 2008 @ 10:35 am
November 16th 2008 @ 8:27 pm
November 16th 2008 @ 8:47 pm
November 16th 2008 @ 10:14 pm
November 17th 2008 @ 1:44 am
November 17th 2008 @ 1:49 am
November 17th 2008 @ 5:54 am
November 17th 2008 @ 10:07 am
November 17th 2008 @ 5:41 pm
November 17th 2008 @ 6:51 pm
November 17th 2008 @ 8:38 pm
