why cuckoos lay eggs in other birds nest ??

Question

biologically why they evolved like that ? if we keep the cuckoos in cage,is they will incubate their own eggs ?.

Answer 1

This is one of the classic forms of parasitism. Basically all animals have the same biological drive... that is to produce as many young as they can, it all related to biological fitness. So, if the cocukoo can lay its eggs in the nest of other birds, thye will be able to lay many more eggs than they would if they simply laid them in their own nest. By doing this and exploiting the parental instincts of other bird species, the cuckoo gains two benefits, one is that they greatly increase their own biological fitness (how many offspring they can produce) and secondly, they dont waste energy and time raising chicks which are quite a handful for parent birds to care for.
I hope that answers your question!
Good one!

Answer 2

"Why?" is not a good question if you want to get evolutionary answers. Evolutionary hypotheses will tell you "how", but there is no reason for a trait to evolve in the first place. Once a trait appears and acquires a function, natural selection may hone the trait and cause changes toward increased adaptation, but we can only hypothesize about the origin of the trait.
Cuckoos belong to an order of birds called Cuculiformes; and within this order there are examples of what might have been the intermediate stages of the evolution of social breeding parasitism.
For instance, in the case of the South American guira cuckoo (Guira guira), the females often lay eggs in communal nests. That is, they make a (not very elaborate) nest, and they share the incubation of their eggs. Some females breed by themselves, some others never incubate.
Thus, there is a trend toward less parental care in this group.
Other Cuculiformes from South America are parasites just like the European cuckoo, and their chicks kill other young that they find in the parasitized nest.
So this trait might have arisen as a decrease in the drive toward parental care, then communal nests which entails laying eggs in a nest built by other individuals of the same species, and then just laying them in other species' nests.

Answer 3

The Cuculidae or cuckoos are a family of near passerine birds. Many of the Old World species and some New World species are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other birds. The best-known example is the European Common Cuckoo. The cuckoo egg hatches earlier and the chick grows faster and in most cases the chick evicts the eggs or young of the host species.

The family also includes the American cuckoos, the roadrunners, the anis, and the coucals, none of which are brood parasites. Each builds its own nests in trees or bushes. Unlike many cuckoos, the coucals lay their eggs in nests on the ground or in low shrubs. These large tropical cuckoos are capable of taking vertebrate prey such as lizards.

These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Most occur in forests, but some prefer more open country. Most are insect eaters, with hairy caterpillars, which are avoided by many birds, being a speciality.

Non-parasitic cuckoos, like most other non-passerines, lay white eggs, but many of the parasitic species lay coloured eggs to match those of their passerine hosts.

* Malkohas have 9 primaries
* Coccyzus, Piaya - 9 primaries
* Cuculus - 9 or 10 primaries.
* Hierococcyx,Pachycoccyx,Clamator levaillantii, Centropus - 10 primaries
* Microdynamis, Eudynamys,Clamator glandarius - 11 primaries
* Some coucals - 12 primaries
* Channel-billed Cuckoo (Scythrops novaehollandiae) - 13 primaries

The group gets its English and scientific names from the call of the Common Cuckoo, which is also familiar from cuckoo clocks.

The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos (family Musophagidae, sometimes treated as a separate order, Musophagiformes). Some zoologists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, though it is now placed in an order of its own, Opisthocomiformes. The taxonomy of this enigmatic species, however, remains in some dispute.

Answer 4

Scientific Name Of Cuckoo

Answer 5

the Brown-Headed Cowbird does the same time...but these birds used to migrate with the buffalo and did not have time to build and incubate nests. The Buffalo are gone now...but the birds still do not build their own nests...it is genetically hard-wired into them now. Don't think the cuckoos would incubate their own eggs if given the chance either.

Answer 6

many individuals of the cuckulidae family individuals (cuckoos) are parasitic nesters, or maybe practice infanticide, tossing the exsisting chicks out of the nest. some individuals such because of the fact the guira cuckoo (Guira guira) are actually not properly documented as parasitic nesters. the guira practices team nesting instead. a number of women celebration and all lay their eggs interior the comparable place, taking turns taking good care of the eggs, and then the chicks. even with the undeniable fact that, the girls all practice egg tossing, and infanticide, so approximately 50% of the finished youthful perish. even with the undeniable fact that, there is no evidence that the girls selectively kill chicks and eggs that are actually not their very own. it seems random, and there is no trend (i.e.- length or trend of the egg) that determines an egg's or a chick's relation to the female. so, to respond to your question, the cuckoo is the chook you're searching for for.

Answer 7

They are like deadbeat parents...

Pawn the kids off on another parent and go about your business. It's a way to raise their young without having to do anything because the other bird who's nest it layed in will raise it.

Are you cuckoo for cocoa puffs?

Answer 8

this is a form of brood parasitism where the mother prefers to lay her eggs in other nests ,theyby when the babies are born they are able to derive their food from the host ..amazing the host mother doesnt bother much abt the presence of the parasitic brood ..ex in case of crows where you replace the eggs with golf ball also doesnt matter much to the mother crow..another relationship found is that the brood tends to grow much better than the others ...

Answer 9

Cuckoos are parasites. They do not make good parents.

Answer 10

They figured out a way for other birds to take care of the cukoos' babies to the detriment of their own.