Nest switching vs. nest integration: a comment on Fernandez-Duque et al.

Abstract

AbstractFernandez-Duque et al. (Evol Ecol 37:859-869, 2023) reported instances where fledglings, able to move freely, were found in the nests of others of the same species containing chicks that were too young to fly. Interestingly, the foster parents fed these intruder fledglings. The researchers identified this as a novel behavior and termed it “Nest Integration.” However, this behavior had been documented previously as “nest switching” in both ornithological and behavioral literature. By integrating the findings of Fernandez-Duque et al. with the literature on nest switching, the evolution of nest switching highlighted by them, and the conditions that might promote it, could be better understood.