This month we spotlight the Cuckoo Finch (Anomalospiza imberbis), a remarkable brood parasite locked in an evolutionary arms race with its hosts. Its finely tuned egg mimicry reveals how co-evolution shapes behaviour, biology, and biodiversity across Africa. #AfricanOrnithology

Cuckoo Finch chicks often hatch earlier than host chicks, giving them a competitive advantage. This timing increases survival but places strong selection pressure on hosts to reject foreign eggs. #AfricanOrnithology

Precise egg mimicry in brood parasites reveals co-evolution in action. In the cuckoo finch–prinia system, variation in eggshell pigments shapes an impressive array of egg colours, proving that mimicry involves complex chemistry, not just appearance. #AfricanOrnithology doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...

The African Cuckoo Project uses brood parasites like the Cuckoo Finch to study co-evolution in the wild. Combining fieldwork, genetics, sensory biology and experiments, the research reveals how hosts and parasites co-adapt from egg mimicry to counter-defence. #AfricanOrnithology

In the cuckoo finch–prinia system, rapid evolution occurs on both sides. Over just 50 years, parasites improved egg mimicry while hosts evolved away, maintaining imperfect mimicry; clear evidence of ongoing “chase-away” co-evolution in the wild. #AfricanOrnithology doi.org/10.1038/s415...

It was a pleasure to do some cool modelling with this fascinating brood parasite system, check it out on PLoS Biol!

#Birds can be #parasites?? Technically! "Avian brood parasites" lay their eggs in the nests of others, manipulating the "host" nest parents into rearing their (oftentimes much larger) young. In this case, "parasite" refers to the act of allocating another's energy for parenting. Like cowbirds do:

Brood #parasitism involves trade-off in host error rates from accepting foreign eggs & rejecting their own. @tdixit.bsky.social &co reveal advantages when egg trait distributions are categorical (not continuous); implications for other co-evolutionary arms races @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4kPKjJP

It's in print! My opinionated dive into the definition of "coevolution" is officially out in the December issue of @journal-evo.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/evol...