[ARTICLE] Feathered Psychos and Charming Birds

Mothers are amazing

Their love for their children is unparalleled. They can do anything for their kids. Tales of mothers’ sacrifices continue to inspire millions of us. But, it is not just the human mothers that love their children unconditionally. Among the many animal mothers that are known to share a deep love and care for their offspring, birds have a great reputation. Birds are known to protect their young ones passionately. And sometimes, the lengths to which they go to protect their kids can be arguably criminal.

Take the example of cowbirds for instance. Cowbirds are what we call ‘brood parasites’. They don’t sit on their eggs and brood them. Instead, they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, usually the songbirds. The unsuspecting songbirds do all the heavy lifting. They brood the eggs, protect them from predators, and ensure that they hatch. They then bring fresh flesh from their hunts across the forests. The absolutely clueless songbird mothers tire themselves out feeding the chicks of cowbirds. And what happens if they don't?

Cowbirds are known to be masters of revenge. If they realize that the songbird in whose protection they have left their egg is not taking care of it, then they go absolutely crazy. They will completely destroy that songbird’s nest. Not to mention all the songbird’s eggs in it. They inflict their revenge on the songbird for not doing what is clearly the job of the cowbirds in the first place. If that’s not criminal, then nothing is.

Keep in mind that this is not a master-slave relationship. Songbirds, despite the threat of carnage from cowbirds, are not in this because of fear. They are in it because of ignorance. Cowbirds have to ensure that the timing of laying their eggs in the songbird’s nest is just perfect. A little too early, and the songbird will realize that it is not its egg because it hasn’t laid any yet. A little too late, and the songbird might get too busy feeding her own hatchings and neglect the unhatched cowbird eggs. The cunning cowbirds visit the nests of songbirds hundreds of times to ensure perfect timing. This is clearly some top notch surveillance capability bestowed by Mother Nature on these birds.

That’s not the end of their savagery. They do not go near the nests where they have laid eggs to avoid detection by the host mother bird. So, to uniquely identify which nests they have laid eggs in, they poke holes in the other eggs in those nests. This has often led to the endangerment of entire species of the birds.

This behavior isn’t unique to cowbirds. Many others like goldeneye, cuckoos, and indigobirds showcase this behavior. That’s some serious exploitation, no matter how much they love their offspring. But, that’s how nature is.

On the other end of the spectrum are some amazing mothers, who take care of their young ones without hurting other beings. Least Terns are one of the best avian mothers. They build their nests away from any threats on the beaches, just above the high tide line. They shield their eggs from the sun by standing over them during warm days. When the temperature soars to unbearable levels, they drench themselves in the ocean water and use the water in their belly feathers to give a cool bath to the eggs. What’s amazing is that they continue this routine even after the eggs hatch until the young ones are old enough to take care of their own.

If that sounds amazing, wait until you hear the next one.

Emperor penguins are remarkable creatures. They have to protect their eggs and hatchlings from a variety of predators that dwell in the seas as well as land. Therefore, they lay their eggs far from the ocean, deep into the land where they are sure that their eggs don’t come to any harm. And that often means 80 km away from the ocean.

Now, guess where do they get their food? That’s right! They hunt and eat fish, which are available in the ocean. So, the mother travels 80 km to the ocean, hunts the fish, walks back 80 km to its chick, and regurgitates the fish it caught for the chick. All this time, the father is keeping the egg or the chick warm between its legs and belly feathers. Without that heat, the hatchlings can die in less than 2 minutes. After the mother arrives, the father leaves for the hunt to the ocean and the mother keeps the chick warm. That’s simply the most mind-blowing thing ever.

Emperor penguins mate for life, and are able to lay an egg only once per year. This makes these eggs invaluable to their mothers and fathers. So much so that the parents are known to grieve the death of their hatchlings.

Many other birds like Prothonotary Warbler, Osprey Barn Swallows, some parrots and more are also known to love and care for their offspring selflessly.

Whatever their modus operandi is, there is no limit to what lengths mothers can go to take care of their progeny, irrespective of whether it is the human mothers, the hard-working emperor penguins, or the brood parasitic cowbirds. It’s simply natural for mothers to love their young ones beyond reason. Be grateful for it!

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Photos by @Irina B, @Teaksu K, @John B, @Luke B and @Cara F
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