Data from: Nest predation and climate change as drivers of alternative reproductive tactics in a migratory species

Abstract

Alternative reproductive tactics enable individuals to choose a reproductive tactic relative to their status and prevailing environmental conditions in a way that increases their fitness. Conspecific brood parasitism, in which females lay eggs in nests of conspecifics, is one example of such behaviour. It has been proposed that when prospects for successful nesting are low and/or costs of reproduction are high, females employ tactics of low cost such as non-breeding and parasitic laying. When environmental conditions are ideal and prospects for success high, females can increase their reproductive effort above typical nesting by laying parasitic eggs prior to initiating their own nest.