44 Cuckoos - with Cassandra and Claire

Delve into the weird and wonderful world of Australian cuckoos. This episode is about the talents of the Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo and how it tricks other birds into raising its babies.

Cassandra Taylor is a PhD candidate at the Australian National University, where she studies behavioural ecology and evolution. Her study system focuses on evolutionary defences hosts evolve in response to brood parasitism, particularly around nests and nest building. Outside of her studies she enjoys birdwatching, reading and hiking.

Claire Taylor is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Her research focuses broadly on how mother birds invest in their offspring, particularly in their eggs and nests. She loves spending time at her field site in Canberra watching superb fairy-wrens go about their everyday lives and trying to uncover the secrets about their breeding and interactions with their brood parasites, the Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo.

Links:

* Claire’s website - clairejtaylor.com

* Claire on Twitter/X - @clairejtaylor

* What the Duck podcast - Become the Cuckoo - abc.net.au/listen/programs/what-the-duck/becomethecuckoo/13954908

* Fan-tailed Cuckoo recording by Ramit Singal (XC501658) - xeno-canto.org/species/Cacomantis-flabelliformis

* Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo recording by Marc Anderson (XC336260) - xeno-canto.org/species/Chrysococcyx-basalis

* Marc Anderson's recording was licensed from wildambience.com

Let's connect:

* Website - weekendbirder.com

* Instagram - @weekend.birder

* Facebook - @weekend.birder

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