True Facts: Parasitic Birds

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Additional fun fact! As part of the evolutionary slap-fight, some of these song birds will sing to their young and/or unhatched chicks. Then later on will only care for the ones that can repeat the song back to them. Parasites that enter the nest too late or lack the proper vocal mimicry will often be either thrown out of the nest or simply neglected until they starve. And just like how some parasite parents will return to attack the nest if their young aren't cared for, some species of hosts have adapted to simply not negotiate with terrorists and will choose to abandon their own nest if they detect a parasite. Which is amazing because it sucks for the individual, but ensures the species as a whole is less likely to be targeted by the parasites in the first place! Evolution gets INTENSE when the next generation of bebes are both the stakes and the hostages!

I find it hilarious that those parents being a quarter of the size of the baby, and being like "you're skin and bones, eat why don't you?!". But pretty sad for the babies who get yeeted out.

Some fun new science here: In recent months a group in Norway found a population where the parasites were using their superior size to PROTECT nests of host species. Even those that didn't get parasitized. These protected nests seemed to have increased success for all offspring involved as both parents were able to collect food. There was simply no need for mom and dad to protect the nests, because something bigger and meaner was invested in their safety. In one instance there was even an observation of a parasite providing warmth for the chicks while mom and dad were out gathering food. Those who reported this behaviour proposed that this might be a case of symbiosis growing out of parasitic behaviours. Increased host success means increased host availability. Increased parasite success means increased protection for the hosts.

I like how they evolved for thousands of years to make their eggs look like the host babies instead of learning how to make a fu*king nest and little bit of parenting.

Imagine being in labor and having to break into your neighbor's house to deliver. That is how parasitic birds do.

Once my brother and I found a baby bird on the ground, peeping away. We looked all around for it's nest and it's mother, but didn't find any birds that seemed interested. Eventually we took it in so it wouldn't die, in hopes of it getting strong enough to fly. So we made a little nest in a box for it and bought mealworms to feed it. It sounds cute, but that baby bird was anything but. It was hideous. And incredibly loud and needy. It was a weight around our neck for at least a month. This hideous thing, peeping all hours of the night for food. We eventually looked it up and found out it was a common cowbird. Not very exciting or anything. We knew about Cuckoos and joked that we had been victims of brood parasitism. Eventually it grew out all its feathers and left the nest. Today I find out that cowbirds are in fact obligate brood parasites. That baby was probably kicked out of the nest of a blue jay or something, only to wind up in our nest. We were had.

Before you question the intelligence of birds, do keep in mind, all bird parenting is "Ok, so this one didn't die"

I always wondered why birds raise these parasites even when they outgrow them. I would have never guessed it could be like a mafia situation "be nice to my boy. I'd hate to see a very unfortunate accident come to your home" 😭😂

I find it interesting that all these complex behaviors and actions of the parasitic bird are entirely instinct. They're born to non-parasitic parents that wouldn't teach them any of these things.

“Like a bat trapped inside a scrotum” is simultaneously the most hilarious and most accurate description of a baby bird I’ve ever heard

This isnt even the most brutal mother nature has to offer but i swear a hidden phobia unlocks every time I see clips of the mother feeding a parasitic chick double their size.

I love this guy’s analogies, they’re so silly yet accurate

ZeFrank is exactly 50 % incredible nature documentary with stunning imagery and 50 % comedy derived from the madness of both the narrator AND nature !

"It's like taking a dump in another man's pool: you gotta be quick." and "It's like giving birth in a boxing ring." Those two lines really had me laughing.

"Ballpoint squigglings of a coffee addict" hit home real hard! Just the other day I was wondering why the hell do I have this compulsion to draw random lines on paper whenever I try to sit down and focus. It never occurred to me that chugging a pint's worth of strong coffee just before these moments might have something to do with it 😂😂

The closing line had me cackling "fine, Jerry, fine. Everything is a glory hole."

The idea that there's almost a selectively bred instinct to raise the brood parasites due to nest destruction cutting off gene pools is terrifying.

It's believed that the reason cowbirds are brood parasites is because they evolved to follow herds of ungulates like bison and eat the insects they stir up. With the herd always moving they couldn't afford to settle in one spot and build a nest.

I love how he says “Byrd”