Date: 6/23/25 11:19 am From: Allan Mueller <akcmueller...> Subject: Re: Barn Swallow cooperative breeding
Much better explanation.
Allan
On Mon, Jun 23, 2025 at 7:41 AM Robert Day <rhday52...> wrote:
> I agree with Butch. For example, divorce is common in seabirds if the
> nesting is unsuccessful, regardless of the reason for being unsuccessful.
>
> RHD
>
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Jun 23, 2025, at 5:57 AM, Gmail <butchchq8...> wrote:
>
>
> Nestling death can have nothing to do with "blaming" the mate. More likely
> they are just using a rule of thumb "if nest is not completely successful,
> go somewhere else". Many species do this, so it's not unique to Barn
> Swallows.
>
> Butch Tetzlaff
> Bella Vista
>
> On Jun 22, 2025, at 19:43, Allan Mueller <akcmueller...> wrote:
>
>
> One of the impressive things about this behavior is that
> having dead nestlings causes a divorce. This implies that the paired
> swallows can "blame" their mate for the death of the nestlings.
>
> Amazing!
>
> Allan
>
> On Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM Ragupathy Kannan <
> <0000013b0ad14faf-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
>> You learn something new everyday. Today I learned that Barn Swallows can
>> breed cooperatively.
>>
>> It started when I observed 3 adults building a nest in my porch. I looked
>> up Birds of the World.
>>
>> So, yes, a nonparent adult can help a pair build a nest and attend to
>> other chores.
>>
>> But before you go "awww"--it becomes sinister the more you dig into it.
>>
>> Some male helpers kill nestlings to induce divorce among the parents.
>> They then take over the brooding female.
>>
>> As I often tell my ornithology students, DNA evidence has unearthed a lot
>> of "dirty laundry" in the bird world.
>>
>> For more on this, click here
>> <https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/barswa/cur/breeding#coopbr>.
>>
>> Kannan
>> Ft. Smith
>>
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>
>
> --
> Allan Mueller (It)
> 20 Moseley Lane, Conway, AR
> Home of the Arkansas State Champion Winged Elm
> 501-339-8071
> *BLOG* birdsnonsense.blogspot.com
> Pura Vida
>
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--
Allan Mueller (It)
20 Moseley Lane, Conway, AR
Home of the Arkansas State Champion Winged Elm
501-339-8071
*BLOG* birdsnonsense.blogspot.com
Pura Vida
