A recent study by Florida Museum of Natural History avian ecologist Jeff Hoover provides experimental evidence that “mafia” behavior in brown-headed cowbirds enforces acceptance of nest parasitism in prothonotary warblers, shown here. The study was conducted in the Cache River watershed of southern Illinois.

(Photo by Chris Young/Florida Museum of Natural History)
View larger image. To request a print-quality image, email newsdesk@ufl.edu.
Return to: UF study first to document evidence of ‘mafia’ behavior in cowbirds