By Sheetal Kumari | August 25, 2025
Some birds don’t even get to meet their biological parents. Learn about species that depend on foster care to survive.
Image: Canva
Some birds deposit eggs into other nests, convincing naive foster parents to raise their offspring.
Image: Canva
Cunning deceivers, cuckoos deposit eggs in the nests of hosts, letting their babies be foster-raised by strangers.
Image: Canva
Infamous for leaving eggs in other birds’ nests, cowbird chicks tend to displace foster siblings.
Image: Canva
African birds deposit eggs into host nests, and their young hatch ahead of time to monopolize food.
Image: Canva
Some finches secretly deposit eggs into the nests of related species, guaranteeing their offspring foster care.
Image: Canva
Tended to be frequently selected by cuckoos, such small songbirds end up unknowingly raising much larger foster chicks.
Image: Canva
Seldom fall prey to brood parasitism, caring for impostor chicks in addition to their own.
Image: Canva
Hosts never recognise impostor eggs and thus let parasitic chicks live under adoptive care.
Image: Canva