Evicted: Evidence of Infanticide in Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) and Slate-colored Junco (Junco hyemalis) in the Southern Appalachians

Clayton D. Delancey^1,*, Urvi Gupta¹, and Richard B. Chandler¹

¹Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 25, Issue 3 (2026): N36–N45

First published early online: 12 August 2026

Abstract
Infanticide, whether it is committed by parents or other conspecific adults, is considered rare in birds, with only a few documented instances. However, infanticide may be more common than is recognized, as missing nestlings are often attributed to partial predation events without evidence. Although parental infanticide reduces an adult’s short-term productivity, it can increase fitness by reducing competition within the brood in times of lower food abundance, reducing resource investment if some nestlings are in poor condition, or reallocating parental care—all of which can increase the chances that remaining offspring survive to maturity. Additionally, sexual selection may drive infanticide by nonparental conspecifics to assert dominance, take over territories, and increase their breeding chance. Here, we provide documentation of infanticide in Junco hyemalis hyemalis (Slate-colored Junco) and Hylocichla mustelina (Wood Thrush) in the southern Appalachian Mountain.

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