They did this by beaming infrared light through the egg and recording when that beam was disrupted – an indicator of movement. The academics measured embryo movement (when the birds were still in the egg, unborn) in multiple brood-parasitic and non-parasitic bird species.
Host species, meanwhile, included the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus, one of the cuckoo's preferred hosts) and the common waxbill (Estrilda astrild). Parasite species included the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) and the lesser honeyguide (Indicator minor). Others have evolved a dangerously sharp point on the end of their little beak, which they use to pulverise the eggs of their host (in the case of the greater honeyguide and lesser honeyguide).įor their study, McClelland and colleagues studied movements in 437 eggs from 14 species of birds – hosts, parasites and other bird species as a comparison – from three continents (Europe, America and Africa). 'It's like a newborn baby lifting a bowling ball,' study leader Stephanie McClelland, a biologist at the Royal Holloway University of London, told The Atlantic.
Most of us are looking for standalones.Some brood parasite chicks, including the cuckoo, push the host's eggs out of the nest one by one, in an impressive display of physical exertion. Most of us don’t like to be left hanging, so we want to know if a book is going to end on a cliffhanger BEFORE we read the book. No criminal hero who is abusive in anyway toward the heroine… or vice versa. Most of us don’t want to read sad depressing books where somebody has a fatal disease &/or dies in it. Most of us want to avoid multi-partner romances. Most of us want to avoid love triangles. Some of us don’t want ANY type of descriptive sex scenes between the h/H & OW/OM at all. Some are OK if it’s BEFORE the h & H hookup. Most don't like descriptive sex scenes with the hero/heroine & other women/other men. While some of our preferences may vary somewhat, here are the general criteria we follow before we consider a book ‘safe’ to read: We don’t want to spend our time & money (things we don’t always have a lot of) on books we consider ‘unsafe’ & that will leave us depressed & in bad moods. We are looking for romance books that will leave us happy & in a feel good mood. We all pretty much feel that our reading time is our means of escapism from the realities of life. We have been helping one another find the books we want to read & keep away from the books we don’t. We are a group of romance readers with similar reading preferences who have found one another here on Goodreads. We are a group of romance readers with similar reading preferences who have found one another here on Goodre We have dubbed ourselves the Safety Gang. We have dubbed ourselves the Safety Gang. Authors or members who SPAM the group will be BLOCKED. To follow a topic/ thread, click "Notify me when people comment" (Desktop website) or "Topic Notification Settings" (Mobile app).Ĩ. This info may help others looking for the same book in the future.ħ. Don't delete your original post with the request. You can add "Solved" to your topic header and move it to a Solved folder by clicking "edit" on the Desktop website (not app) - or a Moderator will assist.Ħ. If you've found your book, post a comment to let us know. Check the Unsolved and Possibly Solved folders. After posting a request, come back and check if another member has found it. If you're searching for more than one book (or book series), start a new topic for each book or series.ĥ. You can mention when you think the book was published.Ĥ. Tell us what year you read or heard about the book. You can "bump" your topic/ thread (post a comment) every 30+ days, or sooner if you remember more info.ģ. Don't create duplicates of the same request. If you're using the Mobile website, click the "Desktop version" link at the bottom of the page.)Ģ.
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