brood parasite

Reed warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus perched in amongst a thicket of reeds peering down

Mallard duck Anas platyrhynchos female with four inquisitive ducklings, pen and ink drawing with the mother duck facing right and the four ducklings busy exploring behind her.

Mallard duck Anas platyrhynchos pair on water cut to white

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos fledgling with moulting feathers on grass

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos ducklings foraging on grass under the watchful eye of their mother with distinctive blue speculum

Two juvenile fledgling mallard ducks in a grass field, quacking

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos ducklings with food and a flat dish with water and marbles in to teach bred ducklings to dabble without fear of drowning

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos duckling in the process of hatching from its egg, half in half our and exhausted with wet feathers

Cuckoo Cuculus canorus