How Ostriches Evolved to Lay Eggs in a Joint Nest

Ostriches can lay the largest eggs of any living animal. When it comes time for breeding, unrelated females will lay their eggs together in a single nest. The male will then raise the joint clutch, along with the dominant female. This behaviour is known as communal nesting. For a bird, it’s an unusual mating system, unique to only a handful of species, including the greater rhea. How did this behaviour evolved?

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References:
Bertram BCR. The Evolution and Maintenance of the Communal Nesting System. In: The Ostrich Communal Nesting System. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014.
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Vehrencamp SL & Quinn JS. Joint laying systems. In: Ecology and Evolution of Cooperative Breeding in Birds. Koenig WD and Dickinson JL (eds). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Vehrencamp SL. Evolutionary routes to joint-female nesting in birds. Behav Ecol 2000;11(3):334–344.
Huynen L, et al. Ancient DNA reveals extreme egg morphology and nesting behavior in New Zealand’s extinct moa. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2010;107(37):16201–16206.
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#nature #wildlife #birds #evolution #ostrich