heterospecific brood parasitism

Heterospecific brood parasitism is an animal behavior where one species lays its eggs in the nests of another species, relying on the host parents to raise the young. This is a form of social parasitism, specifically a type of brood parasitism.12

Birds like cuckoos and cowbirds are known practitioners of this behavior. They do not build their own nests or provide parental care. Instead, they deposit their eggs in the nests of other species, effectively "parasitizing" the host's parental efforts. In some cases, the parasitic young may even harm or displace the host's own offspring. This behavior is distinct from other forms of parasitism where one organism benefits at the direct expense of another, sometimes without killing it.21