Individual Development

Parent offspring conflict Long-lived species (e.g. Wandering albatross) Short-lived species (e.g. Black-capped chickadee) Allocation of resources to offspring reduced unchanged When handicapped

Interspecific brood parasitism in the cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) AdultOffspring

Interspecific brood parasitism in the cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) may remove one of the host’s eggs may consume the host’s eggs may break the host’s eggs lays eggs in the afternoon lays eggs in less than 10 second eggshell pattern similar to host’s may remove the host’s eggs may remove the host’s offspring matures rapidly successful in begging AdultOffspring

Circular arena used to test for filial imprinting in young birds

Sexual imprinting in zebra finches Bengalese finch parents Zebra finch male Bengalese finch femaleZebra finch female

Sexual imprinting  Acquisition phase When? Till days of age Result: social preference formed  Consolidation phase When? First courting attempts Result: social preference linked to sexual behaviour

Sexual imprinting in the whooping crane Tex, the only female whooping crane at the International Crane Foundation breeding area in 1982, has been hand-reared and therefore had im- printed on humans. She rejected the mate provided to her, but could be enticed to lay eggs (artificially fertil- ized) by “dancing”with humans. She preferred Caucasian men of average size with dark hair.