Cuckoo and Cuckoo-Hawk Plumage (IMAGE)

University of Cambridge

Cuckoo and Cuckoo-Hawk Plumage

Caption

New research shows that cuckoos have striped or "barred" feathers that resemble local birds of prey, such as sparrowhawks, that may be used to frighten birds into briefly fleeing their nest in order to lay their parasitic eggs.

Credit

Credit: Thanh-Lan Gluckman and Gabriel A. Jamie

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