<p>Host recognition and rejection of foreign eggs can be effective at combating brood parasitism, and egg patterning serves as a crucial visual cue for some hosts to recognize parasitic eggs. The mimicry of parasitic cuckoo eggs can typically match one or more host species, but the degree of mimicry varies among different hosts. Accurate host recognition of differences in egg markings (spots or lines) is therefore important for antiparasitic adaptation. This study focused on two closely related hosts of the common cuckoo (<i>Cuculus canorus</i>) that breed within the same area, the Godlewski’s bunting (<i>Emberiza godlewskii</i>) and the yellow-throated bunting (<i>E. elegans</i>). We examined the impact of introducing budgerigar (<i>Melopsittacus undulatus</i>) eggs with varying patterns into the nests of two bunting species, and the role of egg patterning in egg recognition. Results showed that both two bunting species exhibited an increasing trend in egg rejection for three types of foreign eggs (conspecific pattern, heterospecific pattern, and pure-white egg) ranging from low to high (Godlewski’s buntings: 45.45% vs. 78.57% vs. 91.67%; yellow-throated buntings: 40% vs. 87.5% vs. 100%), and yellow-throated buntings demonstrated greater ability to discriminate between eggs based on these pattern differences. These findings indicated that the patterning (spots or lines) of eggs serves as a crucial egg recognition cue for both bunting hosts, and variations in egg pattern features and sensitivity to egg patterns may be important adaptive traits that enable them to combat cuckoo parasitism.</p>