Cooperative Breeding in Birds

In this episode—which is number 110—Ivan explores the fascinating world of cooperative breeding in birds, a system in which multiple adults help raise young in a group setting. He begins with an intriguing story from the Kalahari Desert, where Southern Pied-Babblers resort to “chicknapping” during droughts to bolster their flock size. Ivan then broadens the discussion, examining the global distribution of cooperative breeding among bird species and the evolutionary mechanisms that drive...