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Listen to an Academic Talk Test #021
Listen to an Academic Talk
1. What is the lecture mainly about?
A) How cuckoos build their nests
B) A particular strategy for raising young
C) How birds identify their own eggs
D) The parenting behavior of Reed Warblrs
2. What does a cuckoo chick typically do after it hatches?
A) It waits for the other chicks to hatch.
B) It imitates the calls of the host chicks.
C) It removes the host's eggs from the nest.
D) It helps the host parents find food.
3. What can be inferred about the host parents?
A) They often abandon their nests.
B) They are unable to recognize the intruder chick.
C) They lay more eggs to compensate for the loss.
D) They are typically larger than the cuckoo.
4. Why does the professor mention the Reed Warbler?
A) To name a bird that is also a brood parasite
B) To give an example of a species targeted by cuckoos
C) To describe a bird with unique eggs
D) To explain why some birds build better nests
Professor: Good morning. Today we'll discuss a fascinating, if somewhat ruthless, reproductive strategy in the animal kingdom known as brood parasitism. This is where one animal tricks another into raising its young.
A classic example is the Common Cuckoo. The female cuckoo doesn't build her own nest. Instead, she finds the nest of another species, like a Reed Warbler, and lays her egg in it when the host is away. The cuckoo egg often mimics the host's eggs in color and pattern.
The cuckoo chick usually hatches first. Its first instinct is to push the host's other eggs or chicks out of the nest. The host parents, not realizing the chick isn't theirs, then spend all their energy feeding this single, enormous impostor. This strategy allows the cuckoo to lay many more eggs in a season than if she had to care for them herself, but it comes at a great cost to the host species.
A classic example is the Common Cuckoo. The female cuckoo doesn't build her own nest. Instead, she finds the nest of another species, like a Reed Warbler, and lays her egg in it when the host is away. The cuckoo egg often mimics the host's eggs in color and pattern.
The cuckoo chick usually hatches first. Its first instinct is to push the host's other eggs or chicks out of the nest. The host parents, not realizing the chick isn't theirs, then spend all their energy feeding this single, enormous impostor. This strategy allows the cuckoo to lay many more eggs in a season than if she had to care for them herself, but it comes at a great cost to the host species.
Highlights
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