Green Peeps September 2023

First published in Sanctuary Cub, Vol. 43 No. 9, September 2023

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Photo Feature

Feed me
Feed me: Cuckoos are notorious for laying their eggs in other birds’ nests, and while they target various hosts, some species, such as the Common Hawk Cuckoo, prefer the Jungle Babbler. During the babbler’s breeding season (March to June), the cuckoo lays a single blue egg that blends in with the babbler’s own. Upon hatching, the cuckoo chick, a true villain, may evict the host’s eggs or chicks to claim all the food for itself. Unaware of the deception, the babbler continues to care for the cuckoo chick as if it were its own. Photo: Prabhath V.S./Sanctuary Photolibrary.