brood parasitism

a practice in which a female bird lays its eggs in the nest of another species, leaving the other parents to rear its chicks. Both cowbirds and cuckoos display brood parasitism. The parasitic species may eject some of the eggs of the host species, and the young of the parasitic species often hatch earlier and beg more intensively than the surviving host brood, successfully competing for food against the foster parents’ own offspring.

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Psychology term of the day

November 18th 2024

laxative addiction

a dependence on the use of laxatives to induce bowel movements. The addiction is a vicious cycle, in which the use of laxatives gradually reduces bowel activity so that further use becomes the only way to avoid constipation. Laxative addiction is often associated with eating disorders in which laxatives are routinely used for purging. See also enema addiction; klismaphilia.