'...the first comprehensive review of the ecology of avian brood parasites...The book is well documented and should be a useful reference text.'

• Preface ; Dedication to Herbert Friedmann ; Section 1 - Overview and Commentary ; Ch. 1: The Evolution and Ecology of Brood Parasitism ; Section 2 - Coevolution Between Cuckoos and Their Hosts ; Ch. 2: Cuckoos Versus Hosts: Experimental Evidence for Coevolution ; Ch. 3: Host Use and Egg Color of Japanese Cuckoos ; Ch. 4: Coevolution Between the Common Cuckoo and Its Major Hosts in Japan: Stable Versus Dynamic Specialization on Hosts ; Ch. 5: Duration of Sympatry and Coevolution Between the Great Spotted Cuckoo and its Primary Host, the Magpie ; Ch. 6: Coevolution of the Great Spotted Cuckoo and its Hosts ; Ch. 7: Behavior and Ecology of the Shining Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus ; Ch. 8: Nestling Eviction and Vocal Behavior in the Australian Glossy Cuckoos Chrysococcyx Basalis and C. lucidus ; Section 3 - Coevolution Between Cowbirds and Their Hosts ; Ch. 9: Interactions of the Parasitic Screaming and Shiny Cowbirds with a Shared Host, the Bay-winged Cowbird ; Ch. 10: Nest Defense by potential Hosts of the Brown-headed Cowbird: Methodological Approaches, Benefits of Defense, and Coevolution ; Ch. 11: Impact of Brood Parasitism: Why do House Wrens Accept Shiny Cowbird Eggs? ; Section 4 - Models of Parasite-Host Coevolution: Equilibrium Versus Lag ; Ch. 12: Evolutionary Equilibria in Avian Brood Parasitism: An Alternative to the "Arms Race-Evolutionary Lag" Concept ; Ch. 13: Coevolution Between Brood Parasites and Their Hosts: An Optimality Theory Approach ; Ch. 14: Brood Parasitism, Recognition, and Response: The Options ; Section 5 - Effects of Parasitism on Host Population Dynamics ; Ch. 15: Consequences of Brown-headed Cowbird Brood Parasitism for Host Population Dynamics ; Ch. 16: Spatial Variation in Parasitism of Song Sparrows by Brown-headed Cowbirds ; Ch. 17: Potential Impoacts of Cowbird Range Expansion in Florida ; Section 6 - Consequences of Parasitism for the Mating Systems and Life Histories of Brood Parasites ; Ch. 18: Variability in the Mating Systems of Parasitic Birds ; Section 7 - Conspecific Brood Parasitism ; Ch. 19: Patterns of Parasitic Egg Laying and Typical Nesting in Redhead and Canvasback Ducks ; Ch. 20: Quality Cotrol and the Important Questions in Avian Conspecific Parasitism ; Ch. 21: Density-dependent Intraspecific Nest Parasitism and Anti-parasite Behavior in the Barn Swallow Hirundo Rustica ; Ch. 22: Egg-discrimination and Egg-color Variability in the Northern Masked Weaver: The Importance of Conspecific Versus Interspecific Parasitism ; Section 8 - Major Unresolved Questions ; Ch. 23: Major Unanswered Questions in the Study of Avian Brood Parasitism