Parental infanticide in birds through early eviction from the nest: rare or under‐reported?

摘要: Avian parental infanticide is apparently a rare phenomenon judging from the scant reports in literature. However, unexplained cases of single nestling disappearance or apparent fall nest are rather common and routinely attributed to eviction dead nestlings, chick predation dislodging nestlings through errors by parents. During long-term studies pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca central Spain 29 cup mostly hatchlings small, heterothermic were recorded, leading invariably quickly death. Parental failed attempts predate chicks unlikely these cases. Although incidence recorded evictions was below 5% nests, it reached higher levels years populations where reproductive success low. Some preceded prior egg eviction. In studies, there disappearances affecting 3.7% eggs laid which amounted 20% all losses. three other passerine cavity nesting species, similar observed. The rarity parentally evicted based on difficulty directly observing parents evicting live but may also be due observer bias as ejections erroneous dislodgings single-chick events rarely observed normally given reasons for Field researchers should attempt determine real causes partial brood loss before assuming that parsimony excludes