The cuckoo is one of the more interesting
migrants in the animal kingdom. It spends part of the year in sunny Africa, but
nests and breeds in Europe. Cuckoos appropriate the nests of other birds to lay
eggs. The lark or dove in turn does not recognize the egg threat and even feeds
the cuckoo chicks after they hatch. Eventually, the larger aggressive cuckoo
chicks either evict or kill any host offspring. Brood parasitism features several related
behaviors; egg mimicry, egg or chick evictions, or once the cuckoo chick is
established, nest fratricide. Still, no cuckoo ever becomes a chickadee.
Some critters were born to political
metaphor. The hawk, the dove, the eagle, the snake, the rat, the elephant, and
even the jackass are familiar. Given the Muslim migration out of Africa and the
Levant, even genteel bird watchers see the social or Darwinian implications
of mass migrations, avian or human. As Theodore Dalrymple wrote:...... To Read More.....
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