Phoebe and Finch feeding Cowbird and Finch chicks

House Finch and Cow Bird chicks compete for food delivered alternately by Eastern Phoebe and House Finches. Cow Birds do not normally survive when hatched in House Finch nest but this one thrived. This video challenges the traditional diet incompatibility explanation. It appears to be more a matter of finches favoring their own. Yep, I know it is Eastern and not Northern but not worth a another download.

[@beermanmccool1226]

Cow Bird: "Feed me feed me!" Dad Finch: "Feed you? You're lucky I let you stay here!"

[@rakibkadir7598]

I like the way the bird has identified the cowbird chick to be a brood parasite

[@chhuanteahmar4780]

House Finches are very clever birds indeed.

[@JRileyD]

The male house Finch is my damn hero. Starve that freeloader.

[@michaelsmith622]

Get me house. I don't feed are house slackers.

[@kajikaone]

Well the freeloader is 💩that means it is not starving

[@sophiebyers5496]

At least Cowbirds don’t murder their foster siblings unlike Cuckoos. 🙂

[@kgdabuddha2264]

The dad is like "get a job you bum"

[@youngsplikak5867]

LMFAO

[@nickymarch2914]

That’s exactly how he looked at him 😂

[@unchaineDLife]

I love how confused the imposter SOB has the NERVE to look confused on why it's being neglected. Because 🖕🏼 that's why 😂

[@pedrokantor3997]

That house finch is smart, not falling for that charity case.

[@junkjake8626]

What do you mean? didn't the house finch feed the cowbird the whole time.

[@SAEECLIPSE]

@@junkjake8626 it seems the male didn't but the female did?

[@nickymarch2914]

@@junkjake8626 At first they were, then they started tending to their own first

[@franciscoguerra1996]

Finally the video ive been looking for 🤘 finally this bird gets what it deserved

[@ezstreete]

I don't know about that.... For the most part, the finches were able to survive and fledged but the stinkin' cowbird was still getting fed outside of the nest.....

[@michaelsmith622]

Dad's reaction every time cowbird chick puts it's mouth open in his face.😐 Mom's reaction:😒

[@Sidewinder528]

The Dad knew

[@christopherlucas4620]

Parents: you is too damn big

[@chhuanteahmar4780]

I don't like brood parasite birds.

[@ClearMind777]

The dad was like I remember having a giant asshole step sibling, nah not today.

[@poon2503]

Good Morning. Truly beautiful birds family and home. Baby, you are so cute. Have a good day. Love. Blessings to you and your family and everyone, always.🙏🤍❤️💛💚🤎🌷🌾🌻🌺🪴🌹🌴💐🌸❣️💖🤩😘

[@thatswhatshesaid.literally737]

😋 *Is it bad that I just love it to see that squatter cowbird have to beg? 😂 Lol*

[@davidandrew6347]

All baby perching birds beg like this. It wasn't anything unusual.

[@ggggian]

Suffer!

[@sidvacant9382]

@@ggggian jesus.

[@michaelsmith622]

@@ggggian Kratos Flinch: They are no beggars here boy. Here fight for your meal.

[@ggggian]

If I were the dad finch I’d be feeding the cowbird my kid’s poop sacs

[@michaelsmith622]

Get it while it's hot.😝

[@ezstreete]

I always said that was the perfect steady meal for a brood parasite bird.....

[@karenpato1]

I think the cowbird chick fledged and saw a perfect opportunity in another nest of babies. The finch parents did not give a single damn about the cowbird chick, but the eastern phoebe sought it out and gave it a dragonfly. I think it's coincidental that it fluttered (on it's own) into an active finch nest.

[@xinranlian6756]

Unlikely. It’s feathers haven’t been grown.

[@jeffrobinson4985]

Lmao no John

[@Brinta3]

*on its own *its feathers

[@beermanmccool1226]

It's too young to flutter. Most likely it fell out of the Phoebe's nest, then someone else put it up in this finch nest.

[@LiaHuijbregtsCoronel]

Had a fletching cowbird today. He was in the nest of house wrens. I had seen the cowbird come a couple of times near the nest and shooohed it away, but apparently when not watching eggs were laid. Checked the nest and there are two more in the nest, but i don’t know if they are house wrens. Mama and Papa are still caring for the cowbird which fletched. They are not as smart as the Phoebe. This is the second year in a row this happened.😢😢

[@rishabhsingh-yv9ns]

I have noticed that the cowbird hatchling don't necessarily throw off the host bird's eggs to eliminate competition like the cuckoos do, so although the parent birds have to labor hard but still the chances of survival of host eggs/hatchlings is still there

[@Methyll]

@@rishabhsingh-yv9ns he should've removed the disgusting parasite cowbird eggs from the nest

[@sj4iy]

@@Methyll It is illegal to do so because the cowbird is a protected NATIVE species.

[@ezstreete]

​@@sj4iyThey can't see every nest.....

[@vistaprime]

Why is the Phoebe feeding that chick that was only not in its nest but also belongs to entirely different species.

[@lachlanbaker5620]

ikr! also im super suprized 2 differnt birds are feeding chicks from the same nest!!!

[@zjm5835]

Cowbirds are brood parasites. They lay their eggs in other birds’ nests so they can raise their chick instead Edit: the Pheobe is probably feeding it to get it to be quiet

[@junkjake8626]

Do you mean why is it feeding the bird after it is on the ground, because it is normal for birds to feed their young as they are fledglings out of the nest that is part of their life cycle. As for the fact that it is not its own, well the cowbird is a brood parasite and it layer an egg in their nest from the start (also they sometimes destroy an egg and replace it with their own ) so the mother thinks it is its own. It is not like the mother would just do this if it didn’t think it was her own.

[@vistaprime]

@@junkjake8626 You are taking my comment way too literally. I know all about brood parasitic, and parental behaviors of birds. but thanks for the mansplaining.

[@junkjake8626]

@@vistaprime you asked a question idk how to not take it literally, you said why is it feeding the bird that isn’t in the nest if you know why then what answer did you want?

[@davidandrew6347]

How did the cowbird start out?? Was it originally in the pheobes nest and someone put it in the finch nest? The phoebe obviously was nesting very close somewhere for it to do this. Did the pheobe lose its chicks and still in feeding mode?? My main question is how did the finches raise the cowbird up to that size??? Cowbirds can't grow and survive like that on regurgitated seeds like the baby finches eat. Anyone know the situation and how this came to be?

[@karenpato1]

I think it fledged from the eastern phoebe nest and thought it can get a combo feed from sitting in a nest of "other" babies. It thought it got lucky, but was being shunned by the finch parents. That's why it was gone from sitting next to those finch babies, but not far away. That HAS to be the case.

[@karenpato1]

I bet the phoebe nest of all thrived just fine. The cowbird equates to about 2 more babies, more or less. So instead of a clutch of 4, it's more like a clutch of 6. It can handle the workload. Those little flycatchers are catching dragonflies and such. That's a monster of a meal for a baby bird!

[@davidandrew6347]

@@karenpato1 but in the video his age tells me he could never fly up to the finch nest he is to underdeveloped at that age. Plus they don't fly to other birds nests after fledgling. Its just strange.its possible a rare accident I guess.

[@627horsepowers]

David, I had the same questions after I saw the video today. I think someone put the early fledged cowbird chick in there as a higher probability. The cowbird chick was probably originally in a phoebe nest.

[@sherieffiong853]

Brown headed cowbirds don't make a nest. Their females look for a nest with another egg or more and then lay their own in it. The birds that made the nest have to raise the chick as their own. Phoebe birds will voluntarily feed the babies of other birds. Got the info from wild bird guides.

[@arekbelitangbelajar]

Wonderfull

[@hodgepudding]

Wow!

[@Snider112233]

What’s the benefit of having another bird raise there young? Other than the obvious, is it a way to knockout competition, or a way to lay multiple eggs in multiple nests to increase the chance of offspring?

[@piranhaplantX]

Less effort investment. They don't have to feed or defend the chicks, and they can hedge their bets in multiple nests. All of which will be able to devote more time to their chicks than they could, since the cowbirds have evolved to monopolize the attention of the host parents.

[@junkjake8626]

I believe it was evolved due to the life cycle of cow birds in that they follow cows because cows as they graze kick up insects living in the hay and so the cow bird had to follow the cows and that made it hard to stick by the nest, although cow birds do stop by and check on the nests they have eggs in.

[@avonavians2860]

Everyone is going to talk about how the house finches recognize the cowbird chick. No one is going to mention why the finches have a phoebe maid that feeds the cowbird for them. Seriously, what on earth is going on here?

[@stoopidhumor1]

I KNOW

[@ezstreete]

I'd like to know that.....

[@avonavians2860]

@@ezstreete I mean, like, what's the interaction between the finches and the phoebe? Is the phoebe working with or for the finches? Do the finches even know the phoebe is feeding the cowbird?

[@cuddleteamleader3638]

Yes they did not get pushed out the nest let's go

[@elijahculper5522]

Cowbirds don’t push the other chicks out. You’re thinking of Cuckoos.

[@bright.light.sights933]

@@elijahculper5522 A cowbird just pushed a chick out of its nest in my yard. I placed the bald chick back in its nest and took the cowbird out. I'm raising the cowbird rn.

[@rogue0909]

Bright.Light.Sights fatten it up and feed it to your cat

[@gargould7186]

@@rogue0909 The cat 😺 would say to you " are you kidding me I ain't eat🤪n that gross piece of crap😡

[@ezstreete]

​@@rogue0909My thoughts exactly!!!!!

[@eduardogaleananava6597]

I just like how the dad stares at the camera. The dad: Y’all see this shit I can’t believe my wife mistakes this shit for our children. 🥴🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Airbearncubz]

Do cowbell chicks try to kill the host chicks or eject the eggs before they hatch normally; and in this case just failed to do so? Does anyone know a lot about birds and can tell me; if all parasitic birds attempt to get rid of any competition, or is that just the Cuckoo bird that instinctively ejects any eggs or hatched chicks from the hosts next? This is fascinating and I never new that some birds laid their eggs in other birds nest and was like, “okay, see ya 👋 make sure to murder all the other babies or you won’t get fed!” If someone knows if all parasitic birds do this or just the cuckoo bird, Please respond and let me know. I’m really curious, thanks!

[@michellel564]

Do the finch babies get food?

[@Lordismystrength.222]

Yes more then the cowbird

[@blobbertmcblob4888]

Kinda feel bad for the poor little thing. It doesn't know or understand what it is. It just thinks it's a finch like the rest of them, it only understands that the parents bring food at that age.

[@ezstreete]

I hope it becomes prey.....

[@jasonn6306]

"Guest"

[@cliffbot638]

They didn't eat its poop on the first time.

[@birdfanboi]

Finch-Poo

[@ezstreete]

Equals meal for cowbird chick!!!!

[@reenam9356]

Whatever it may be but this cowbird is not such dirty and cunning like Cuckoo chick

[@mohawkade]

That's a disturbing mite infestation

[@youngsplikak5867]

AHAHAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

[@davidgonzales-vj3jw]

Nasty bird i would have fed It to my chickens they gotta eat to 😂

[@myyoutube1979]

Seriously?!

[@myyoutube1979]

I'm gonna leave the nest immediately even if I couldn't fly yet.

[@fairykelsie]

these parasite birds are so aggressive omg

[@eleazarleosjr1122]

Get out of here ur not our baby intruder

[@MrWhite-jc2ri]

I'm really happy that the cowbird fell out of the nest... Really wish it died though...

[@davidandrew6347]

Cowbirds fledge at this age.

[@neneg4340]

Take cowbird eggs OUT of nests. they hatch and push other babies and eggs out of the nest, and are mean. nothing useful or cute about that.

[@tdeneen31]

First, that's nature, get over it. Second, you are talking about cuckoos, not cowbirds. They are the ones that push eggs and babies out of nests. Just because you don't see something as "useful or cute", doesn't mean it doesn't serve a purpose.

[@robertlee1771]

Cowbirds are known to come back and destroy nests if their brood gets rejected.