Co-operative breeding

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Cooperative breeding is a social system in which individuals contribute care to offspring that are not their own at the expense of their own reproduction . When reproduction is monopolized by one or few of the adult group members and most adults do not reproduce, but help rear the breeder’s offspring, the majority of these cooperative breeding species exhibit high reproductive skew. However, there are plural breeding species with low reproductive skew, in which the subordinates commonly breed. This kind of cooperative breeding systems is particularly rare and includes communal breeding, in which more than one female lays eggs or gives birth to young . Cooperative breeding is different from alloparenting, which is simply the act of caring completely for another conspecific's offspring but not at their own expense. Alloparents always have ulterior motives such as practicing to be better parents, reciprocation and genetic interest. Additionally, cooperative breeding is not altruism, which is the care for others (not necessarily offspring) with no expectation of any compensation or benefits, whether direct or indirect.

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