From the Back Cover Brood parasitism has become one of the most flourishing areas of research in evolutionary ecology and one of the best model systems for investigating coevolution. This subject has undergone remarkable advances during the last two decades, but has not been covered by any book in the 21st century.This book offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the fascinating field of avian brood parasitism. The topics covered include conspecific brood parasitism; evolution and phylogenetic history of avian brood parasites; parasitic behaviour used by brood parasites; adaptations and counter-adaptations of brood parasites and their hosts at every stage of the breeding cycle (before laying, egg, chick and fledgling stages); factors affecting the evolution of host defences and parasitic attacks; the role of phenotypic plasticity in host defences; mechanisms driving egg recognition and rejection; evolution of nest sharing or nest killing by brood parasite chicks; begging behaviour in parasitized nests and food delivery by host adults; and recognition of conspecifics by juvenile brood parasites. This volume provides a comprehensive reference resource for readers and researchers with an interest in birds, behaviour and evolution, as well as a source of hypotheses and predictions for future investigations into this dynamic subject. Read more About the Author ​Manuel Soler has been a Full Professor at the University of Granada in Spain since January 2001. He received his PhD in Spain in 1984, and since then his research has focused mainly on behavioural ecology in general and brood parasitism in particular. He is the author of more than 250 publications, including original articles in leading journals, such as Nature, Trends Ecol. Evol., Biol. Rev., Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B; reviews; book chapters; and books on evolution, behaviour and ornithology. His most significant contributions are in the fields of brood parasitism and behavioural ecology. He has been nominated President of several scientific societies, including the Spanish Ethology and Evolutionary Ecology Society; the Spanish Evolutionary Biology Society and the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Ornithology Society. Read more
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