4 ms·
> why would a 'sensible' Reed Warbler continue to feed the cuckoo chick Same reason humans raise step kids. Assumed Parental obligations.
by vagrantJin 4y ago
> why would a 'sensible' Reed Warbler continue to feed the cuckoo chick
Same reason humans raise step kids. Assumed Parental obligations.
- hilbert42 4y agoProbably so, but perhaps we should research it more to know for certain. If this is inate behavior across the much of the animal kingdom then it becomes a fact with useful potential.
- vagrantJin 4y agoEh. I can't see the potential usefulness of that information at least not enough to warrant research. By and by I suppose.
- hilbert42 4y agoSince posting that and other earlier comments I've read up on this matter and particularly on brood parasites both on Wiki and elsewhere and I'm much better informed now (see these debates are actually useful). :-) The short and overly simplified explanation is that a considerable amount of research has been done over many years and it's deemed useful for various reasons, understanding species longevity, rates of extinction, the evolutionary one-upmanship between the parasites and those who stand to lose by being parasitized and so on. What is clear is that there are many quite logical and reasonable theories about said matters but little actual proof so more research is needed before any definitive conclusions are drawn. At least on the matter of brood parasites this wiki is a good place to start as it provides a reasonably comprehensive overview (other sites are more specific and some I've only skimmed so I'm not in the position to comment about them): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brood_parasite https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brood_parasite. One thing for certain is that these matters are complex and often there are multiple-threaded explanations (that is different explanations can simultaneously apply to each case without conflict).