Table 1: Description of artificial egg types used in experimental parasitism experiments. The abbreviation used for each egg type and the number of character differences between an American robin egg and a brown-headed cowbird egg are noted.

Egg Types
(Size, Color, Spotting)
Egg Type Abbreviation Number of Differences
Robin, Blue, Immaculate† RBI 0
Robin, Blue, Spotted RBS 1
Robin, White, Immaculate RWI 1
Cowbird, Blue, Immaculate CBI 1
Robin, White, Spotted RWS 2
Cowbird, Blue, Spotted CBS 2
Cowbird, White, Spotted† CWS 3

† mimetic robin egg.
† mimetic cowbird egg.