Brood parasites are a sub-category of kleptoparasite occurring among birds or insects, that lay their eggs in the nests of other species to be raised by the host. This relieves the parent parasites from the investment of rearing young or building nests, enabling them to feed only themselves, and to lay more eggs. They usually only lay one egg per nest, although in some cases, particularly the cowbirds, several females may use the same host nest. Orders Many - see section below. ... Classes & Orders See taxonomy Insects are invertebrate animals of the Class Insecta, the largest and (on land) most widely-distributed taxon within the phylum Arthropoda. ... Species Molothrus rufoaxillaris Molothrus oryzivorus Molothrus aeneus Molothrus bonariensis Molothrus ater Cowbirds are birds belonging to the genus Molothrus in the family Icteridae. ...

Typically, the young of brood parasitic birds are larger than the young of the nest parent, and can out-compete them for feeding from the parent. Often, the brood parasite young will actually push the host young out of the nest to their deaths, so that the parasite young becomes the only young in the nest.

Brood parasitic birds include the old-world cuckoos, cowbirds, whydahs, and the honeyguides. Genera See text. ... Species Molothrus rufoaxillaris Molothrus oryzivorus Molothrus aeneus Molothrus bonariensis Molothrus ater Cowbirds are birds belonging to the genus Molothrus in the family Icteridae. ... Genus Vidua For the pirate ship Whydah, see Whydah Gally The Indigobirds and whydahs, are small passerine birds native to Africa. ... Genera Indicator Melichneutes Prodotiscus Honeyguide birds, also known as honey birds, indicator birds, and simply honeyguides, (family Indicatoridae) are several dull-colored near passerine bird species of the order Piciformes, notable for their method of obtaining food. ...

The cuckoo bees are a group of brood-parasitic insects, laying their eggs in the nest cells of other bees. Families Andrenidae Apidae Colletidae Halictidae Megachilidae Melittidae Stenotritidae Bee collecting pollen Bees (Apoidea superfamily) are flying insects, closely related to wasps and ants. ...

Some brood parasites are of only individual consequence for their hosts, with only minor effects on the species as whole, but the cowbirds have become a serious invasive pest in many areas due to their habitat preferences. They feed in open areas adjacent to woodlands, and will marginally penetrate the forest fringe to lay eggs in the nests of other passerine species. A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded function as carbon dioxide sinks, animal habitats, hydrologic flow modulators, and soil conservers, constituting one of the most important aspects of the Earths biosphere. ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ...

As the forests in the Americas have become fragmented, this has resulted in the cowbirds becoming a significant part of a negative set of edge effects, since they have gained access to a greater percentage of songbird nests. World map showing the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... An edge effect is the effect of the juxtaposition of contrasting environments on an ecosystem. ...