Cuckoo Parenting

Cuckoo Parenting

By At December 09, 2021 0



Spring is a fun but challenging time for a birder.  There is so much bird activity and so many leaves and flowers for them all to hide in.  And just when I thought I had most of my resident bird identifications down, the babies appeared -- with different appearances, calls, and behaviors, leaving me stumped to solve their mystery identities once again.

In July, I saw a medium-sized light-colored thin and tall bird I didn't quite recognize.  It had the beak of a cowbird, but not the color I would have expected.  I watched it for a bit, and then saw a momma song sparrow come and feed it.   This really confused me -- this juvenile looked nothing like the sparrow, and in fact was nearly double its height.   It was thanks to fellow birders and experts at iNaturalist that I learned this was actually a Brown-Headed Cowbird being cared for by its parasitic host, a Song Sparrow.


Parasitic Parenting

Perhaps the polar opposite of helicopter parents, parasitic parents are most often observed in bird and fish species.  These parents take an extreme hands-off (err .. feathers-off? gills-off?) approach.  

In the natural world, reproduction and parenting are deeply-rooted instinctive activities.  Many species are driven with a primary objective to reproduce and pass on their genes, even if it means their own death in the process.  It is how species survive.  The goal of any animal generation is to produce the next.

In parasitism, the mother-to-be lays her egg in the nest of another mother-to-be without her knowledge or permission.  In most cases, she doesn't build her own nest and she will not interact with her offspring beyond laying the egg.  There is a good chance that the host will continue to incubate and care for this young, scoring yet another for a species that didn't have to do any of the work of raising their next generation.

There are many studies on this subject, though it is still not very well understood.   Here are some theories as to why parasitism may occur (in no particular order):

Opportunity - Maybe they figured out the ultimate lifehack to keep their gene pool alive with the minimum amount of effort. 

Necessity - Maybe their own nest was destroyed or attacked and they don't have time or ability to rebuild but still need to check that box "keep species going for another season" off their to-do list.

Competition - When laying an egg in someone else's nest, it is common to discard/eat/destroy one of the existing eggs.  This may be a method of making room and/or deceiving the other mother in case she can count.  Either way, one less of that other kind and one more of theirs in this world.   Some species lay the egg as a means of infiltrating a nest; the baby instinctively destroys it's foster siblings upon hatching.

Instinct - Maybe some species are just hardwired with these instructions in their brain.  They don't have the same to-do list as many birds where they instinctively go gather supplies, build a nest, lay eggs, incubate, care, feed, etc.  

Increasing The Odds -- The ultimate "don't put all your eggs in one basket" approach.  If one nest were to get raided or destroyed, there is still hope for the eggs left in other(s).

No matter the driver for it, it is clear that some species have adapted with a number of well-researched and planned methods to ensure their offspring's success.   Techniques have been observed such as (and the titles of each of these actors is my own, certainly not scientific):

Detective - staking out another bird to find the perfect host.  They are looking for one that has similarities to their own such as diet, egg appearance, and incubation duration.  They may look for one with a well built nest or the perfect nesting location.  One theory says they also look for a host species with smaller eyes and weaker eyesight in hopes they don't notice the swap.

Ninja - Being sneaky and well-timed are all part of the con.  Instead of a 20-minute meditative exercise of laying an egg, they are in and out of the host nest in seconds, having laid the egg and eaten the host's.  There is a small window of just a couple of days while the host bird is still laying eggs before she settles in to incubate and doesn't leave the nest again at all.   And, the egg needs to hatch at about the same time as the others, too.   

Mobster - If being subtle doesn't work, perhaps scare-tactics will.  Some parasitic parents have been believed to keep checking back on the host nest.  If they find their egg to have been abandoned or destroyed, they may retaliate by destroying the others and perhaps the entire nest.  Knowing this is a real threat, the host may knowingly continue to care for the imposter egg, simply as a means of ensuring the protection of their own.  They may even sacrifice their own juveniles meals to prioritize feeding the imposter youth instead, fearing for their own safety if the parasitic parent sees that their young are not being well cared for.

Collaborator - Occasionally, things work out well for all sides of the story.  This occurs between the Carrion Crow and the Great Spotted Cuckoo.  In these crows nests, the cuckoo do not destroy any of the existing eggs.  The crows also don't chase them away.  Researchers believe that the cuckoo offers some protection methods against predators that are beneficial to all the chicks in the nest.   In some cases, it is believed the odds of the crow juveniles succeeding increases when a cuckoo is also found in the same nest.   

Whatever the reasons this relationship and instinct exists, it is fascinating to learn about, and I'm thankful to have learned about it first through my own observation.

Adoption and Foster Parenting

I debated about this idea for a long time before making this piece. I am a parent via adoption myself, and I didn't want this story to be misapplied to the complex and complicated adoption processes found in the human world.   Still, I think it is a very interesting phenomenon which occurs in the natural world.  

This is intended as a humorous and informative piece about parasitic brooding which occurs in birds.   I may have exaggerated a bit, as I don't believe the parasitic bird is actually having cocktails on the beach, but I consider that a rite of cartooning.   

I want to share my sincerest of thanks to foster parents of all varieties and species .. for selflessly helping to care for the next generation, even if they may not be their own or part of their brood for the entire time.  The little ones are innocent no matter what the background story that brought them into this care.  While it can be exhausting to be a parent, it also brings great joy and pride and that doesn't have to be limited to youth with your shared genes.   

It seems parenting and family structures are complicated and variable throughout the animal kingdom and not just in the human world.  I have been fascinated by this one since I witnessed it first hand.

Behind the Scenes

This piece was started via a paper sketch and then digitally refined using my digital tablet.  

References

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