The cuckoo - a cunning parasite that tricks other birds into raising its young - may finally have met its match.
For the first time, researchers have discovered a bird that recognises the imposter in its nest and lets it starve to death.
The cuckoo's nemesis is the unlikely named superb fairy wren, a sociable, blue bird found in gardens all over south-east Australia.
Cuckoos are one of only half a dozen or so birds that lay their eggs in the nests of other species. Cuckoo eggs hatch a day or so before the host eggs, allowing the chick to tip its rivals out of the nest.
The foster parents then raise the cuckoo chick, often struggling to find enough food because the intruder is far larger than the host. The British cuckoo, for instance, is six times as big as the warblers on which it preys.
Although reed warblers are skilled at removing peculiar looking eggs, the cuckoo has stayed one step ahead by laying eggs that closely resemble those of the host.
Now, according to research published today in Nature, the superb fairy wren has hit back. It is preyed upon by Horsfield's bronze cuckoo, which lays eggs that closely resemble those of the wren.
Although the cuckoo chick evicts the wrens, researchers at Cambridge University, Bristol University and the Australian National University discovered that 40 per cent of wren mothers then abandoned nests containing cuckoos.
The cuckoo chicks are recognised partly because they are alone in the nest, and partly through their calls.
However, British birds' combat with the cuckoo is hampered by the weather. The longer breeding season in Australia means its birds have more time for re-nesting and can abandon breeding attempts at a late stage.