Costs of parasitism incurred by two songbird species and their quality as cowbird hosts

We measured the costs of Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism incurred by Field Sparrows (Spizella pusilla) and Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea). We predicted that the frequent occurrence of nest desertion as a response to cowbird parasitism in Field Sparrows would be reflected by a hi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Condor (Los Angeles, Calif.) Vol. 102; no. 2; p. 364
Main Authors Burhans, Dirk E, Thompson, Frank R, Faaborg, John
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Waco American Ornithological Society 01.05.2000
Subjects
Animal behavior
Birds
Ornithology
Parasites
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Summary:We measured the costs of Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism incurred by Field Sparrows (Spizella pusilla) and Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea). We predicted that the frequent occurrence of nest desertion as a response to cowbird parasitism in Field Sparrows would be reflected by a higher cost of parasitism for that species.
ISSN:2732-4621
DOI:10.1650/0010-5422(2000)102[0364:COPIBT]2.0.CO;2