The Cowbird Molothrus bonariensis of North America is a pure
parasite. During the breeding season it is very promiscuous,
mating quite randomly and not forming lasting pairs. The female
lays her egg in the nest of a smaller bird and, as with the
Cockoo, the Cowbird's egg hatches before the others in the nest,
the nestling grows faster and soon starves its nest-mates out
even if it does not actually crowd them out. During the summer
months, the Cowbird is usually to be seen following, or even
riding on, sheep and cattle to catch the insects disturbed by
their feet.

Many of the whydah groups are also nest parasites, laying their
eggs in the nests of the small waxbills. Not only do their eggs
resemble those of the waxbill, their young have the same
markings in their mouths as young waxbills as it is by these
markings that the parent birds identify where to put the food
and without them the nestling whydahs might starve. Only the
male Long-tailed Window Bird, or Whydah, Diatropura progne has
the long black tail from which it gets its name.

The Fantails are a group of nearly forty species of closely
related birds found only in south-eastern Asia, the
south-western Pacific and some Australasian regions. They are
relatedto the Old World fly catchers and are easily recognized
by their habit of cocking their tails. The Rufous Fantail
Rhipidura rufifrous is shown here on its nest, fanning its tail.
It is found in Australia, the Solomons, New Guinea and a few
other islands, in a variety of habitats, including jungle, scrub
and mangrove swamps.

The European Wren Troglodytes troglodytes , the only species
occurring in Europe, is known in North America as the Winter
Wren to avoid confusion with the other nine species found there.
It is thought that the wrens evolved in North America and only
colonized the Old World from the New, via the Bering Straits,
either during or just after the Ice Ages. In many parts of
Europe, the Wren is called the `king' of birds (this may have
originated from confusion with the Goldcrest) and there are many
superstitions and rituals connected with Wrens. On Christmas Day
in Britain, the Wren was once hunted and then stoned or clubbed
to death. This ritual has obvious connections with the Christian
ritual of death and rebirth, centred on Christmas and the New
Year.

The cock Wren, in spite of its small size, is one of the
loudest songsters in the dawn chorus, and is often heard
breaking into a short snatch of its trilling song even in the
middle of winter. At the onset of the breeding season, the male
Wren builds severalnests and the female then selects one in
which to lay her eggs. The nests are domed and of fairly
flexible construction; as the youngsters, which may number up to
about fifteen, grow in size, the nest will stretch slightly to
accommodate them.


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