"What we show in this publication is that longer female in-nest attendance of chicks predicts the number of parasites in the nest," says Professor Kleindorfer. The fly lays eggs that hatch into larvae that feed on the developing chicks, killing most chicks and causing beak deformation in the survivors. However, since being first observed in Darwin's finch nests in 1997, the avian vampire fly has been parasitising nestlings and changing the beak and behaviour of its Darwin's finch hosts. The 17 Darwin's finch species on the Galápagos Islands are a textbook example of a rapid adaptive radiation: each species has a unique beak shape suited to extract resources from a different ecological niche. The unintentionally introduced avian vampire fly, an invasive species on the Galápagos Islands, enters Darwin's finch nests when attending parents are absent. The female must forgo foraging herself, and her persistence is strongly influenced by good food provisioning of her offspring by the male." If he feeds the offspring a lot, the mother can remain inside the nest for longer," says Flinders University Professor Sonia Kleindorfer, who is also affiliated with the University of Vienna. "The pair male is also essential for success of the chicks. Although older offspring still have to contend with the larvae, they are better able to preen themselves, and may dislodge and occasionally eat some of them. The maternal buffer is a life-saver, according to the research, especially during the first days after hatching, when chicks are blind, helpless and cannot preen. A new study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, has found evidence Darwin's finch females that spend longer inside the nest can ward off deadly larvae of the introduced avian vampire fly, which otherwise enter and consume the growing chicks.
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