Just as it has unearthed a lot of dirty laundry in our human world!
On Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM Ragupathy Kannan <
<0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> You learn something new everyday. Today I learned that Barn Swallows can
> breed cooperatively.
>
> It started when I observed 3 adults building a nest in my porch. I looked
> up Birds of the World.
>
> So, yes, a nonparent adult can help a pair build a nest and attend to
> other chores.
>
> But before you go "awww"--it becomes sinister the more you dig into it.
>
> Some male helpers kill nestlings to induce divorce among the parents.
> They then take over the brooding female.
>
> As I often tell my ornithology students, DNA evidence has unearthed a lot
> of "dirty laundry" in the bird world.
>
> For more on this, click here
> <https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/barswa/cur/breeding#coopbr>.
>
> Kannan
> Ft. Smith
>
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