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from the dept. When her nest is invaded by bloodsucking mites, the female house finch juggles the birth order of her future offspring. She first lays eggs that will bear daughters--which tend to be hardier--and saves the eggs of her more sensitive sons for last. The strategy ensures that vulnerable male chicks spend less time with the mites and may help explain why the house finch has been so successful in adapting to new environments. The house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) is the conquistador of the bird world. Confined to the western United States and Mexico until about 1940, the bird quickly set up shop around the country when a few individuals were set loose in New York. Each population has had to overcome the hardships of its new environment, and scientists have long suspected that the secret to the bird's success is an ability to adapt very quickly to small changes in its surroundings.To find how these birds fare in the face of an aggressive adversary, evolutionary biologist Alexander Badyaev and his colleagues at the University of Arizona in Tucson turned to a group of house finches that has lived in Arizona for hundreds of years. During the breeding season in late spring, the bloodsucking nest mite (Pellonyssus reedi) attacks mothers and chicks. As in most bird species, the male chicks are especially vulnerable to danger when born. Read more in ScienceNow < | >
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When Danger Lurks, It's Ladies First
