• @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    325 months ago

    I once found a baby bird and took it home. (Don’t do this. I was a kid and didn’t know any better.) Bird parents are amazing. They found the cage I was keeping their baby in and they came every day to feed him.

    • @Aceticon
      link
      12
      edit-2
      5 months ago

      Some birds do the exact opposite: if they see that a human has touched their chick (even if they just leave it in the same place afterwards) they might reject it and stop feeding it.

      Apparently this is an urban myth.

        • @Aceticon
          link
          155 months ago

          Well, I was teached that by my parents, but because of your post I looked it up and apparently, as you say, that’s not true.

          So cheers for getting me to check it!

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        115 months ago

        The joke is that German has the term Rabeneltern (raven parents) for bad parents because they throw out their kids so early

        • @ripcord
          link
          15 months ago

          But those are definitely not ravens

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            215 months ago

            I hereby formally apologize for making a not 100% accurate joke under a meme. I hope the great council will forgive me eventually

            • @ripcord
              link
              75 months ago

              We shall see.

              Please check back with us in one year.

              • @lath
                link
                35 months ago

                One *fiscal year.

                • @[email protected]
                  link
                  fedilink
                  3
                  edit-2
                  5 months ago

                  Which is the same as a calendar year except you can bribe the council to make it end sooner.

  • Hotdog Salesman
    link
    fedilink
    185 months ago

    Mother kangaroos will abandon their joeys if they are in danger so they can flee faster. If they danger passes, they will not accept their joey again.

  • @linearchaos
    link
    English
    115 months ago

    Interesting perspective. I never really thought about that. For a mammal to carry and protect its young it’s not that much of an energy sink. They eat food digest it and provide milk. Birds have to scavenge food and deliver it via airmail.

    • Cethin
      link
      fedilink
      English
      65 months ago

      There’s also a lot less energy spent upfront. A mammal (except that one) carries their child for a period inside of them while they grow. A bird lays an egg, which they have to care for but they aren’t as stuck with it and vulnerable, and usually for a shorter period. Essentially, a mammal’s child represents a much larger investment, so it makes sense to put more effort into ensuring it succeeds.