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1 January 2004 Florida Scrub-Jays eject foreign eggs added to their nests
Tina L. Fleischer, Glen E. Woolfenden
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Abstract

Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater), and to a lesser extent Shiny Cowbirds (M. bonariensis), have expanded their breeding ranges to include that of the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens). We added the eggs of seven bird species to Florida Scrub-Jay nests to determine if scrub-jays eject foreign eggs. Most eggs were ejected within 1 d of addition, probably by grasp-ejection. Ejection of foreign eggs by Florida Scrub-Jays suggests that cowbirds, should they begin to parasitize scrub-jays, would waste their reproductive effort. Fossil evidence suggests that Florida Scrub-Jays may be former cowbird hosts that have sustained the ability to eject.

Tina L. Fleischer and Glen E. Woolfenden "Florida Scrub-Jays eject foreign eggs added to their nests," Journal of Field Ornithology 75(1), 49-50, (1 January 2004). https://doi.org/10.1648/0273-8570-75.1.49
Received: 29 July 2003; Accepted: 1 February 2003; Published: 1 January 2004
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KEYWORDS
brood parasitism
cowbird
eject
foreign egg
scrub-jay
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