Bob,
I checked the online Bent's Life Histories at http://birdsbybent.com and
came up only with the following references to the Yellow-billed Cuckoos'
nest parasitism:
1) Unlike the European cuckoo, both of our North American species usually
build their own nests and rear their own young, though they are very poor
nest builders and are often careless about laying in each other's nests or
the nests of other species.
2) Both species of North American cuckoos often lay their eggs in each
other's nests. The eggs of the yellow-billed cuckoo have been found several
times in nests of the robin and catbird. H. P. Attwater (1892) writes: "In
1884 I found a Dickcissel's nest which contained five eggs and one
Yellow-billed Cuckoo's egg. The next year some boys brought me three
Black-throated Sparrow's eggs and one Yellow-billed Cuckoo's, from the same
field, which they said they found all together in one nest." J. L. Davison
(1887) says: "I also found a nest of Merula migratoria, taken possession of
by Coccyzus americanus before it was finished, which was filled nearly full
of rootlets; and in this condition the robin laid one egg and the Cuckoo
laid two and commenced incubation, when a Mourning Dove (Zenaidura macroura)
also occupied it and laid two eggs and commenced incubation with the Cuckoo.
I found both birds on the nest at the same time, when I secured nest and
eggs. The eggs of the Robin and Cuckoo were slightly incubated; those of the
Mourning Dove were fresh."
3) Bendire (1895) adds the wood thrush, cedar waxwing, and cardinal to the
list of birds that have been imposed upon, and says: "Such instances appear
to be much rarer, however, than those in which they interlay with each
other, and the majority of these may well be due to accident, their own nest
having possibly been capsized, and necessity compelled the bird to deposit
its egg elsewhere. Such instances do occur at times with species that cannot
possibly be charged with parasitic tendencies."
So, even your own reference does not consider this to be a common occurrence
and says they shouldn't be considered parasitic. As you can see from these
quotes, Bent agrees with Sibley that oftentimes when the cuckoo lays eggs in
another bird's nest, both birds incubate the eggs, rather than the cuckoo
just dumping its eggs.
Alyce Quinn
-----Original Message-----
From: Icepeep@xxxxxxx [mailto:Icepeep@xxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 11:05 AM
To: twoquinns@xxxxxxxxx; philkenny1@xxxxxxx; va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [va-bird] Re: LA Waterthrush Sunday 6/27
Bent's Life Histories
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