# List of brood parasitic passerines

Interspecific brood parasitism evolved twice independently in the order Passeriformes, in the cowbirds (genus Molothrus) and in the family Viduidae. Instead of making nests of their own, and feeding their young, brood parasites deposit their eggs in the nests of other birds.
The vampire ground finch is a parasite, but is not brood parasitic.

## Species

Family Viduidae :
| Common name | Scientific name | Host species |
| Cuckoo-finch | Anomalospiza imberbis (Cabanis, 1868) | Cisticolidae, most commonly Prinia subflava |
| Village indigobird | Vidua chalybeata (Müller, 1776) | Lagonosticta senegala, Lagonosticta nitidula |
| Jambandu indigobird | Vidua raricola Payne, 1982 | Amandava subflava (primary host), possibly Lagonosticta rara |
| Barka indigobird | Vidua larvaticola Payne, 1982 | Lagonosticta larvata (primary host), Lagonosticta virata |
| Jos Plateau indigobird | Vidua maryae Payne, 1982 | Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis |
| Quailfinch indigobird | Vidua nigeriae (Alexander, 1908) | Ortygospiza atricollis |
| Dusky indigobird | Vidua funerea (de Tarragon, L, 1847) | Lagonosticta rubricata |
| Zambezi indigobird | Vidua codringtoni (Neave, 1907) | Hypargos niveoguttatus (primary host), Hypargos margaritatus |
| Purple indigobird | Vidua purpurascens (Reichenow, 1883) | Lagonosticta rhodopareia (primary host), possibly Lagonosticta rubricata |
| Wilson's indigobird | Vidua wilsoni (Hartert, 1901) | Lagonosticta rufopicta (for V. w. wilsoni), Lagonosticta nitidula (for V. w. incognita) |
| Cameroon indigobird | Vidua camerunensis (Grote, 1922) | Lagonosticta rara (primary host), Lagonosticta rubricata, Clytospiza monteiri and Euschistospiza dybowskii |
| Steel-blue whydah | Vidua hypocherina Verreaux & Verreaux, 1856 | Estrilda erythronotos, Estrilda charmosyna |
| Straw-tailed whydah | Vidua fischeri (Reichenow, 1882) | Unknown, presumed to be Granatina ianthinogaster |
| Shaft-tailed whydah | Vidua regia (Linnaeus, 1766) | Granatina granatina (primary host), Sporopipes squamifrons, Prinia flavicans |
| Pin-tailed whydah | Vidua macroura (Pallas, 1764) | Around 17 species in Estrildidae, Cisticolidae, Fringillidae and Emberizidae |
| Togo paradise whydah | Vidua togoensis (Grote, 1923) | Presumed to be Pytilia hypogrammica |
| Exclamatory paradise whydah | Vidua interjecta (Grote, 1922) | Pytilia phoenicoptera (primary host), Pytilia lineata, possibly Pytilia hypogrammica |
| Long-tailed paradise whydah | Vidua paradisaea | Pytilia melba |
| Sahel paradise whydah | Vidua orientalis | Pytilia melba citerior (for V. o. aucupum) |
| Broad-tailed paradise whydah | Vidua obtusa | Pytilia afra |
Family Icteridae :
| Common name | Scientific name | Host species |
| Shiny cowbird | Molothrus bonariensis (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | At least 102 species |
| Brown-headed cowbird | Molothrus ater (Boddaert, 1783) | At least 174 species |
| Screaming cowbird | Molothrus rufoaxillaris Cassin, 1866 | Most commonly Agelaioides badius, occasionally four other species |
| Giant cowbird | Molothrus oryzivorus (Gmelin, JF, 1788) | Corvidae and Icteridae, at least 12 species |
| Bronzed cowbird | Molothrus aeneus (Wagler, 1829) | At least 48 species |