Why some cuckoos lay blue eggs
Thursday, January 21, 2016 - 08:50
in Biology & Nature
Cuckoos are nest parasites, meaning they lay their eggs in other birds' nests. The female cuckoo has to lay eggs that mimic the color, size and shape of the eggs of the host bird. Using a massive data set, including data from museum eggs that are over 100 years old, researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have figured out how the ability to lay blue eggs is inherited.