Publications by authors named "Shannon E McNeil"
Article Synopsis
- Avian brood parasites use visual cues to identify and reject foreign eggs, leading some parasites like the Common Cuckoo to evolve eggs with colors and patterns that mimic those of their hosts.
- The study examines the chemical basis of egg color mimicry in the Striped Cuckoo and its host, the Rufous-and-white Wren, revealing that Striped Cuckoo eggs in Central America are blue to match the wrens'.
- Both cuckoo and wren eggs contained the pigment biliverdin, but cuckoo eggs also had protoporphyrin and lower concentrations of biliverdin, indicating that visual mimicry can occur without precise chemical matching.
