Cowbird Chicks Must Adopt ‘The Goldilocks Principle’ To Boost Survival

Cowbirds need to grow up alongside two host nestlings — no more and no less — to maximize their own survival

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Female brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) singing at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge near New York City. (Credit: Rhododendrites / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Brown-headed cowbirds, Molothrus ater, are fascinating because they have a peculiar child-rearing strategy. Female cowbirds lay their eggs into the nests of…