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Listen to an Academic Talk Test #009
Listen to an Academic Talk
1. What is the main purpose of the talk?
A) To compare different types of bird nests
B) To describe a particular reproductive strategy
C) To explain the evolution of bird eggs
D) To discuss the parenting habits of warblers
2. What does a newborn cuckoo chick do in a host nest?
A) It imitates the sounds of the host chicks.
B) It helps the host parents find more food.
C) It shares the nest with the other chicks.
D) It removes the other eggs or chicks.
3. What can be inferred about the host parents?
A) They eventually recognize the cuckoo chick is not theirs.
B) They are not able to distinguish the cuckoo egg from their own.
C) They abandon the nest if they find a strange egg.
D) They are larger and stronger than the cuckoo bird.
4. Why does the speaker say the cuckoo's strategy is "ruthless"?
A) To highlight the negative outcome for the host species
B) To suggest that cuckoos are not intelligent
C) To explain why the cuckoo population is declining
D) To criticize scientists who study this behavior
Professor: Let's talk about a fascinating, if a bit ruthless, reproductive strategy in the animal kingdom: brood parasitism.
This is where one animal tricks another into raising its young.
The common cuckoo is a classic example.
The female cuckoo finds the nest of a smaller bird, like a reed warbler, and when the warbler is away, she quickly lays one of her own eggs in its nest.
The cuckoo egg is often a close mimic of the host's eggs, fooling the parent.
What's more, the cuckoo chick typically hatches earlier than the warbler chicks.
Almost immediately, the newborn cuckoo will instinctively push the other eggs or any hatched chicks out of the nest.
This ensures it receives all the food from the unsuspecting host parents.
This strategy maximizes the cuckoo's reproductive success without the energy cost of parenting, but it's obviously devastating for the host birds.
This is where one animal tricks another into raising its young.
The common cuckoo is a classic example.
The female cuckoo finds the nest of a smaller bird, like a reed warbler, and when the warbler is away, she quickly lays one of her own eggs in its nest.
The cuckoo egg is often a close mimic of the host's eggs, fooling the parent.
What's more, the cuckoo chick typically hatches earlier than the warbler chicks.
Almost immediately, the newborn cuckoo will instinctively push the other eggs or any hatched chicks out of the nest.
This ensures it receives all the food from the unsuspecting host parents.
This strategy maximizes the cuckoo's reproductive success without the energy cost of parenting, but it's obviously devastating for the host birds.
Highlights
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