Kleptoparasitism
- Researchers suggest that kleptoparasitism among seabirds could serve as a transmission pathway for the H5N1 avian influenza virus, potentially explaining its swift global spread.
- Kleptoparasitism is a feeding strategy where seabirds like frigatebirds and skuas force other birds to regurgitate their food, which may unintentionally facilitate the transmission of the H5N1 virus.
- It occurs in several groups of animals, such as birds, insects, and mammals, and is considered a form of social parasitism.
- The kleptoparasite benefits from the efforts of other animals to obtain food, without expending energy in searching for and capturing these resources for itself.
- Kleptoparasitism may be intraspecific, where the parasite ....
