Article: Sunrise nest attendance and aggression by Least Bell's Vireos fail to deter cowbird parasitism.

There are several ways in which potential hosts may protect a nest from the detrimental impacts of brood parasitism. Two strategies may prevent a cowbird from laying: nest sitting (rushing to the nest and sitting in it; Hobson and Sealy 1989, Gill and Sealy 1996) and aggression directed at the intruding cowbird (Robertson and Norman 1977, Briskie et al. 1990). The effectiveness of such behaviors in deterring parasitism is unclear. The findings of Sealy et al. (1998) suggest that these behaviors do not thwart parasitism. However, J. M. Budnik (pers. comm.) video-recorded a Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) laying an egg on the back of a midwestern Bell's Vireo (Vireo ...

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