In evolutionary terms, how do you explain how the CUCKOO passes on its behavioural patterns to its offspring ?

Question

Evolutional theory suggests that parents pass on the bulk of behavioural characteristics to their offspring. But cuckoos never see their offspring, so how did the cuckoo ever learn to behave the way it does in the first place?

Answer 1

First of all, baby cuckoos in the nest behave much the same as any other bird by begging for food. It is the parents of the parasitized species that are perhaps more surprising in that they feed a chick that is so unlike their own natural offspring.

Second, female cuckoos belong to 'races' that lay their eggs in the nest of the same species that raised them. It is not hard to imagine that it would be perfectly easy for a female to identify a nest with the same type of parents that raised her.

As for chucking the other eggs out of the nest, many other bird species do this to their siblings.

In short, some inherited hardwired behaviour is genetically controlled (e.g. removing the eggs), while other behaviour may be learnt from the surrogate parents (e.g. be quiet when predators are around).

There is nothing particularly peculiar about cuckoo behaviour other than the fact that it learns its 'learned' stuff from foster parents rather than its own.

Answer 2

The whole point of instincts is that they are behaviours that are not learned, but are hardwired from birth. So the baby cuckoo does not need to see its parent to learn this behaviour.

Current evolutionary theory does not at all suggest that parents pass on learned behaviours to their children (except culturally, of course, and some interesting reseach is being done in this area about animals passing on cultural behaviours). This would be a form of Lamarkism, a theory that was popular before Darwin but is now regarded as debunked.

What are passed on are the instincts. If instincts are a result of the particular way the brain is wired, this is something that can be inherited, and modified by evolution over many generations in exactly the same way that body structures are.

Answer 3

I think some of the above responses fail to see the dilemma which this question poses. If cuckoos are supposed to act by instinct, how was the instinct ever instilled into them when they have never learned any behavioural patterns from their genetic parents. Genetics implies that learned behaviour can become instinctive over a period of several generations, but the offspring of the cuckoo never vary from their pattern of stealing another birs's next, no matter which species of bird has actually reared them as infants.
I can't explain how the cuckoo ever learned this pattern of behaviour (unless God told them !) so it poses a bit of a puzzler.
Got me stumped as well !

Answer 4

Some parts of that have been hard-wired into the brain of the offspring. When you're first born, it doesn't really mean you don't know anything. For instance, a horse can begin running as soon as it comes out. This is instinct. Anything that isn't developed over time (such as personality quirks), in the brain is passed on.

For instance, why are teenagers horny? Genetics.

Answer 5

It's built into their jeans same as a puppy makes a good mother even if it is seperated from it's own mother at 6 weeks old.

Answer 6

Don't know about your last part of question, but first part is easier. It must be genetically ingrained.