Parental responses to offspring solicitation differ among species and have major implications for fitness, but the evolutionary drivers of this diversity are poorly studied. Here, we experimentally amplified begging calls at nests of 25 songbird species in tropical and north temperate communities. We analyzed parental provisioning responses using phylogenetic path analysis to test the possible roles of demographic (offspring predation or adult survival rates), ecological (food predictability) or physiological (offspring energy need) traits in the evolution of parental responsiveness to begging. Species with smaller body mass, more unpredictable food availability, and greater offspring predation rates were more responsive to begging. In contrast, we found little support for direct effects of adult survival on parental responses. Ultimately, the evolution of parental responsiveness to offspring solicitation is strongly related to energetic needs of young and the predation costs of begging.