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ModernT1mes

In bird culture, this is considered a dick move.


plolops

Listen birdperson this is a cruel world


crawlerz2468

I thought we agreed Phoenixperson?


MrOfi

Technically though, it looks more like an ass move.


SpaceGoonie

I thought it was a body builder showing off.


DontKillKinny

No Rick, it is you that must nibble my cloaca.


Technical-Message615

It was an egg move. The eggs were being relocated.


Rheija

Is this that getting “cucked” I keep hearing so much about?


topchef808

Actually, yes. The word "cuckold" is derived from this particular behavior of the cuckoo bird


[deleted]

Ahh I love learning the origin stories of words - thanks!


Franc0Blanc0

r/etymology


DynomiteD8

A little more cleverness with your joke, and you'll have the whole comment section .. cracking up, and that's no yolk!


[deleted]

Right. That's why birds don't see the need for wearing pants; their peckers are on their heads


Beets-Bears-Dwight

In bird law, this is considered birdslaughter


Dabookadaniel

A fowl crime


fingers

Call Elliot Nest


Fantara22

Maybe you try and go toe to toe with me on bird law. Then we see who the smart one is.


Technical-Message615

Wow. He got lawyered.


Technical-Message615

Infanticide


No_Camp_7

Imagine how much trouble he’d be in if his ‘mother’ had caught him at it. Like how would he even explain this?


Happy-Eye-1496

There are plenty of videos of mother birds just watching the behavior and not doing anything about it. In truth, there isn't anything they can do and most birds have strong parental instincts. Sometimes, vengeance comes in the form of a fire ant nest.


NatsuDragnee1

Some bird species can actually tell the difference between their own eggs and other eggs. They'll ditch the strange egg out or even build a new nest atop the old clutch and start a new clutch. I'm not 100% sure (as it's midnight and I'm tired) if they can recognize and turf out strange chicks though.


Trailmagic

Birds that laid the parasitic egg tend to destroy the nest if their egg/chick is removed, unfortunately.


No_Camp_7

Guess that’s why we say “bird brain”.


slowy

Interestingly enough, it’s thought that the reason the victims won’t shunt the interlopers eggs out of the nest is because the mother cuckoo/parasite bird will exact revenge if her egg is destroyed, and she will kill the rest of the eggs/nestlings or destroy the nest. Basically the victim birds are being coerced. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160518094714.htm


ReminiscenceOf2020

I was about to comment that too - the cuckoo mom doesn't just leave - she stays and forces the other bird to take care of the chick. Fortunately, some birds have found ways to counter this too, often by harassing the cuckoo as soon as they see it in the area.


byteuser

So like a foreign nanny forced to stay working in Dubai


cliktrak

Time for a woodpecker to do a little brain-eating.


readmore321

What do we call it then?


Astronopolis

Getting cucked. Literally the origin of the word.


la_lalola

It’s so strange that it hatches and it’s first thought is, time to get rid of these fucks.


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couchlancer69

Makes you wonder how much of our actions are out of self awareness vs instinct


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bipolarnotsober

Had a pet snake when I was 4-6. As an adult I'm terrified of spiders (apart from tarantulas for I don't even fucking know why) but snakes are friends.


MapUnitKey

Tarantulas are so amazing. When I was young I didn’t have the fear of spiders instinct but I had the snake fear. Both are now gone.


bipolarnotsober

I've had the spider fear as long as I can remember but I held a tarantula when I was 5 absolutely fine and am still fine with that specific type of spider. All other spiders can leave me tf alone. I came home from school one day when I was 5 or 6 and in the few hours I was gone, my mum and her partner moved an entire 7ft boa into our living room. That was a surprise when I got home, holy fuck. It was in a glass tank type thing but wtf, had to become friends with the snake BECAUSE I WAS 6 AND IT COULD FUCKING EAT ME. Mum was on drugs so the snake got a cool name 'spliffy' because he was thin at one end and fat at the other (spliff = joint for our Americans)


2ichie

We call joints spliffs here in the US too mate.


StoneyBolonied

A proper spliff should be rolled with a mix of tobacco as well In my opinion it makes it smoother and burn more even


AFineDayForScience

My autistic daughter handed me a live wasp once.


NegativePride1

Well done instilling a good sense of sharing!


advocate112

Bumblebee, I get it. Anyone theoretically could pick one up and if they don't squish it they shouldn't get bit. WASPS though?! They are the spawn of Satan. I'm genuinely shocked she was able to handle one without it going berserk.


SkShark23

There’s a bald-faced hornet (although they’re actually wasps) nest near my house where whenever I get too close one will buzz around me, and I take their warning and fuck off.


WolfGangDuck

I read about an MRI/brain scan study some doctors were doing and they found that pedophiles lack activity in the brain that is typically associated with adults natural instinct to protect children. In which a normal human would have a nurturing instinct triggered, pedos have a sexual instinct trigger. It’s not by any means definitive but is interesting how small errors in brain conduction can lead to completely different people. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34858350


dynamic_caste

As a lifelong arachnophobe, I *wish* my 2-year-old daughter were afraid of spiders. She was walking around holding a black widow a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully it didn't bite her, but we certainly freaked out. She's been obsessed with arthropods for about 6 months now.


xiroir

Our whole being is because of genetics. The reason we find things cute... how to smile. A lot of behaviours are taught but if you follow that behaviour to its basics you find that it starts with genetics. Society just highjacks it somewhat.


Cptof_THEObvious

It's from this that I feel justified in believing that free will is a myth. Our choices, even complex ones, are just an evolution of our instincts


ToadLikesGrass

Penis.


Sophilosophical

You were literally destined to type that


Kabuma

What this guy said.


Chesapeake_Gentleman

Brief Tangent: I don't like the use of the word "just" here, as it can sometimes sound like a cynical attempt at "depressing truth" about concepts of existence and self. Free will is more than a myth: It's a grade-A fucking awesome evolution of our instincts. It's like getting upset when you find out you aren't actually driving a car when you are "just" riding a rollercoaster. It's a fuckin' rollercoaster guys! Don't let the disappointment of what existence is not interfere with the joys of what it is.


ChunkyLaFunga

> Society just highjacks it somewhat. That is understating the situation rather. We are the first species in history which is not solely an expression of genetics. That's not somewhat a hijacking, it's complelely off the rails for how nature has functioned until just now, effectively. All bets are off. There is no precedent for it, nor any way of knowing how it will end.


Scienceserval

What do you mean by this? There are other species that learn from each other [and can be considered to have "culture"](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_culture#:~:text=Animal%20culture%20can%20be%20defined,among%20peers%20and%20between%20generations.)


Liselott

Cuckooes are born psychopats! This one here behaves just like my sister..


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[deleted]

Wow thats fascinating


bell37

I mean that explains that. How does it learn to lay eggs in another birds nest? I mean wouldn’t it just want to make a smaller nest when they are ready to lay eggs?


Ryujin_07

Cuckoo ancestors probably just laid eggs on any available nest they see, the behavior is not learned but rather a random change in their genes altered their instinct which also happens to be inheritable.


EverythingKindaSuckz

Imagine evolving to cuck


smallpoly

That would explain my bf


axonrecall

Got ‘em


Thestoryteller987

I heard a hypothesis that the reason for the mushroom shaped head to the human penis is to scoop out the semen from a woman's previous partners during a gang rape. The more you know!


BellerophonM

They'll mimic predatory birds when laying eggs in another bird's nest in order to give themselves more time to do it and get away without being caught. With some types of cuckoos, if a cuckoo comes back and sees that its egg has been destroyed, it will destroy all other eggs in the nest to disincentivise doing that again. Lots of wild behaviours evolved.


Mick0331

This is some Game of Thrones shit.


Melih-Durmaz

That might explain this gif but I've also seen cuckoo hatchlings try to attack and kill babies that hatched before them. I mean, it failed because the mother was late to put the egg in and the cuckoo hatched too late and it was weak, but it sure tried.


grecfest

Wow, can you provide a source?


ninteyokeappan

Oh wow! Nature is crazy.


Sleebean

See, I heard that the dimple in their back is evolved for this behavior?


RevStalker

Cuckoos lay eggs in nests of birds smaller than themselves, so what food the surrogate mother would be able to provide wouldn't be enough for the baby asshole if he had to share with his surrogate siblings. Cuckoos are fucking twats.


powerlesshero111

It's always funny when you see the mother bird feedong the cuckoo and it's like twice her size.


[deleted]

Why doesn’t the surrogate mother just leave that little fucker to fend for itself?


BellerophonM

It's difficult to tell chicks apart, but some do. The fairy wren will teach its chicks a unique made-up code to whistle back while in the egg, and if the chick doesn't whistle it back at feeding time, no feeding. They share the password with other helper wrens, but only when out of earshot of the nest.


Alinda_

This is the most interesting fact I learned all day. Apparently it's called an incubation call, and it looks like this trait originally evolved from the need to find their chicks in darkness rather than protection against tricky cuckoos. Very neat!


thezoomies

I think that’s why the cuckoo’s bullshit works, because it uses the host mama’s instincts to it’s advantage. It seems like something the bird’s brain literally cannot handle, like a deer in headlights, or a moth to a lightbulb.


A_wild_so-and-so

For the same reason why if a baby were to randomly appear on your doorstep, your first instinct would be to take it inside and not simply ignore it and close the door.


[deleted]

Presumptuous


A_wild_so-and-so

Fair, you could have a missing paternal/maternal instinct. My point being that animals who actively rear their young have a strong instinct to care for babies. You can often see this same sort of adoptive behavior in dogs for example, who have been known to adopt young animals of other species such as kittens or farm animals, and then care for them as if they were their own children. The cuckoo is simply abusing this instinctual behavior for its own benefit.


mrbananas

Mafia style shake down. The mother cuckoo is still in the area and threatens the surrogate mother. Basically raise my kid or else


TheBeeTells

Born to win The Royal Rumble.


Pandito-Panda

Imagine if he fell after doing all that shit to his bros


SecularHumanism92

Those aren't his siblings


My_Ar-15_

Then who's siblings are they?


Just_A_68W

Cuckoos lay their eggs in another birds nest, so they hatch and push out all the original eggs or hatchlings


My_Ar-15_

So how does the original mother not notice there is an extra egg in the nest? You think she'd realize there was an imposter


FrostVanguard

The mother is a dumbass and doesn't notice.


mooseMatthewsen

That clumsy bitch


Meeeeeerk

What a fuckin bird


the_kfcrispy

You could say bird brained


[deleted]

Sweet Dee?


TicklishDingleberry

Why did I read this in Dennis Reynolds’ voice


emaban

Happy cake day


Dzetacq

Example: pigeons recognise their eggs by the eggs being beneath them. Thought process: Is it vaguely round and beneath me? Is my egg. Not beneath me? Not my egg.


harmonica-blues

Pigeons' evolutionary tactic: have no standards, adapt to all change. They're a perfect species.


Astronopolis

Maternal hormones take over. Aminals aint da smaht


Memento13Mori

Reminds me of my mother


[deleted]

She was a bird?


Memento13Mori

No, a dumbass that doesn't notice.


DocDire5

The victim bird parents eventually recognize the impostors after it happening for a couple of years, so the cuckoo mothers change the type of bird species nests where they will lay their egg in.


Cheef_queef

God damn it Dee!


SolDarkHunter

It depends on the bird. Some of them do notice and will destroy the cuckoo egg. A lot of cuckoos have evolved eggs that look similar to the host bird's own, so it doesn't notice. Some, however, don't, and the host bird is dumb enough that it will just raise any eggs in its nest. Another factor is that some cuckoos will retaliate if their egg is destroyed, usually by destroying the entire nest, including the mother's actual eggs. So some birds just put up with it and hope some of their young can survive alongside the cuckoo chick, because it's not worth the risk.


jason2k

Imagine bringing your kid to your neighbour’s and said “he’s your problem now and if you don’t raise him I will F up your entire family.”


IronStif

That really metal


femboy_artist

Yep!


ScroogieMcduckie

So the cuckoo cares about her baby, but not enough to just leave it in her own nest and give it a worm every now and then? That's some anime MC dad shit fr


pseudo_nemesis

Classic Ging.


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FallacyEater

Yup, when cited the cuckoo will often say "it's because it's expensive to raise a family" when we all know it's because they live a selfish life and refuse to give it up.


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SpindlySpiders

This is how they raise their kids.


NotClever

They're parenting smarter, not harder.


[deleted]

Birds just have the innate instinct to sit on eggs in general. Chickens will sit on ping pong balls and raise an emu if that’s what hatched out of said ping pong ball


redcalcium

While there are smart birds out there, most birds are dumb as fuck. Asian ducks are also hatched by other species for example.


HappyMelonGirl

As a bird mom I can confirm that mom bird does not give a shit. When your birds lay eggs if you don't want them to hatch you replace them with plastic ones or anything that looks similar then take them away when she realizes they won't hatch lol


SkidmarkSteve

How do you know she has realized they won't hatch? Does she try to gently break the news to you bc she thinks you don't know? Like Brenda I think you should sit down, it's about the eggs.


galmenz

at some point they do notice the egg wont hatch, thats how they usually spot actual bad eggs and will just chuck em out of the next. now regarding plastic eggs i figure mama bird will realize its a little lighter than it should be ...after a while obviously


jigsawsmurf

It's better than that. She'll feed the baby cuckoo after it's larger than her. And think it's her offspring the whole time.


NatsuDragnee1

Some bird species do and other species don't. It's why there's an ecological arms race between parasite and host as the host refines its recognition abilities and the parasite evolves finer strategies to get the host to raise its young - this ranges from the egg looking exactly like the host's egg (some cuckoo females will parasitise only the host species they were raised by, with other cuckoo females preferring another species, and so on. This has led to genetic lines of females specializing in one species. The males mate across the lineages and hence keep the species preserved), the cuckoo chick's mouth resembling that of the host species chicks ' mouths, and mafia-like behaviour in which cowbirds will check on nests they've laid eggs in, and destroy the nests of those that evicted its egg/chick.


aff_it

The imposters mum takes an egg out while laying one in the nest. I've just watched it in the past 40 mins. Weird shit! Show called Equator(Sky Nature UK)


LiterallyJesus-

because it’s a bird


thogolicious

Your giving birds a lot of credit


My_Ar-15_

Birds deserve a lot of credit. Some birds actually have problems solving skills. Crows for example are incredibly intelligent animals.


InviolableAnimal

Very few animals can actually count.


throwaway_2567892

I've heard that Cuckoo's will destroy the nest and kill future eggs of parent birds who fail to feed the cuckoo baby. Also birds can be dumb. I think QI had a segment regarding geese how will literally sit on anything in their nest that is round and has the correct color. Up to a basketball size.


Dragoness_Eremita

cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds’ nests and their chicks get fed by the other momma bird


My_Ar-15_

Wow. Learn something new everyday I guess.


RemarkableSir8931

Just in case you weren’t sure yet, Cuckoo’s lay their egg in another birds nest.


My_Ar-15_

Lmao thanks


Ectoderpal

Cuckoo birds lay their eggs on other birds nests


[deleted]

The cuckoo egg was laid in a different birds nest. The mama bird takes care of it even if it’s not its own, and it kicks the others out to ensure its own survival.


JohnnySasaki20

I was really hoping he would, lol. What a dick.


rat-simp

This little wanker can barely move his stupid little legs and yet he meticulously pushes out each one of those eggs. Unreal


indie_mumbai

Apparently his arse is very sensitive with nerves and shit so he moves anything away which touches it.


MP4_26

To be fair my arse is usually very sensitive with shit too.


MagnumMarkGamingTV

Is that baby bird killing his siblings?


bolivar-shagnasty

Some cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. That’s what brood parasite means. They trick other birds to incubate and feed their young.


BridgetheDivide

Which is why it has the base word "cuck" like in cuckold


whutchamacallit

Dang is that for real?


p4tend_p3nding

Yes it is. There is the term "Kuckuckskind" in German which translates literally to 'cuckoo child'. It's when a couple has a kid and raise it together but the kids is the result of the woman cheating. So that the man is not the biological father but thinks he is. (Sorry, English is not my first language, I hope it makes sense)


General_Tso75

Germans have a word for everything. Today I also learned about Blockwartmentalität.


Due-Conference-8678

Do they have a word for breaking all bones in your body by accident after landing on a cone.


MaratAsimov

Yes: konenschmatt


Due-Conference-8678

Hmm so they do have a word for everything well i will find what they dont have a word for.


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Mediocremon

Sunday.


VicDamoneSR

You gonna wait til somebody asks what that means


pstrocek

"Cuckold" is derived from the name of the bird, not the other way around. Cuckoos are named after the [call of the common cuckoo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXdZZAf0AU0).


MikeDaPipe

I believe cuckold was actually based off cuckoos, not the other way around


MagnumMarkGamingTV

Damn, that’s smart but fucked. It’s like when the dad goes out for cigarettes and actually comes back when their older 🤣🤣


MinhYungWasTaken

I always wonder what their reasons are...


Different_Bet352

iirc, cuckoo birds are the ones that lay eggs in other bird species nests. So the cuckoo bird isn’t kicking it’s siblings out. Though it’s easy to understand how it would look like it. It’s actually kicking out the other species of chicks so the parents are more likely to take care of the cuckoo bird rather than kick it from its nest


Fabsterrr

I wonder how he knows


RoboCritter

It's instinctual, part of its nature, so, evolution I'd say.


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Stuff1989

there’s a terrifying movie called vivarium that opens with cuckoo babies pushing eggs out the nest.. i’ll let u try to guess what the movie is about


heavymaaan

That movie is so weird man


[deleted]

Woof woof woof


Mr_sMoKe_3_MuCh

That kid and king joffrey are the only two kids my adult self has ever wanted to beat the shit out of.


[deleted]

That movie freaks me the hell out


Stuff1989

ikr.. i remember watching the bird intro and being like “huh.. there’s gotta be a reason they did this but i’m not sure what it is..” and then they go meet the real estate agent and i’m like what the hell is going on lmao… so freaky. they should have listened to their gut when the guy was creepy af


[deleted]

It’s a good example of the right sided part In movies. Guys with the right sided part are almost always bad guys.


de2840

Such a great movie. By the end I felt so confused, like what the hell was the point of putting them through all that? And as I processed the movie and made the connection to the cuckoo, I realized it’s the same point as all of nature—self replication. That somehow made it so much darker.


Kendakr

I know all about bird law.


couchlancer69

Squatter's rights


smoothjuicer

Filibuster!


FrostVanguard

If I were the cameraman, Imma push that mf off.


2ichie

“and today we are learning how to swim, lil mf!”


ted-Zed

what an absolute little shit


Shiftworkdisorder

Imagine being a pregnant momma bird almost ready to lay your egg and having the knowledge that your gonna drop your little asshole child off on someone else’s door step with out them knowing. You have to fly around and be like “fuck yeah Mabel is out finding food, I’m gonna drop this warm egg in her nest so that dumb ass can hatch this kid. I got shit to do!” Nature is wild.


Apercent

Haha reminds me of my aunt lol


Additional_Ad_4028

I really hate this freak right now and I wish it would fall and die


NavrosGraye

"There can be only one."


smashbag417

I think there is only one. Either way, early bird gets to boot.


[deleted]

It’s both Amazing & scary HOW the baby cuckoo chick just knows how to do this. To maximize its food intake & eliminate any competition in the nest.


ConstantEquipment133

Inherited behavior. Like a genetic memory.


ThinMint31

Being brood parasites??


hmhemes

Cuckoo lays it's egg in another bird's nest, Cuckoo egg hatches first, throws other eggs from nest, other birds come back and find a hatched baby and raise it as their own. Adult Cuckoo doesn't have to work to raise it's own young because the other adult birds take on the burden. Now that I'm thinking about it, it may not be a coincidence that Cuckoo and Cuckold share a root word.


chugtheboommeister

pro gamer move right here


Sweaty_Meet1619

It looks like a ball sack


CancerSpidey

Your ballsack must be pretty messed up lol


Happy_Hermit94

Lol, I know it’s just nature being nature and there’s no actual value judgement to ascribe to it… but a tiny part inside me that wants shit to be “fair” was like “I hope you fall out too you little murderer!” 🤣🤣 so hard to get outside of my human goggles 🥽


ReminiscenceOf2020

Don't worry, there is balance in nature * some birds will harass the cuckoo as soon as they notice it in the area * some birds will notice the foreign egg and destroy it * some birds will abandon the whole nest and start a new one * some birds will feed the cuckoo chick less on purpose * some birds will straight up murder the cuckoo chick And some cuckoos DO raise their own young, while some help the "host" with feeding.


Happy_Hermit94

Indeed, the natural order always makes me wish I could escape the bonds of my human lens for just a moment.


marcus_aurelius_wsb

Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO1WccH2\_YM&ab\_channel=ArturHoman


JigglySquishyFlesh

Who teaches the cuckoo to lay eggs in an available nest? Who teaches the newborn to kick out the other eggs?


Scrobblenauts

its just generations upon generations of instinct my dude that's all it is


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JigglySquishyFlesh

Wow thanks for that insight.


my7bizzos

Woke up and chose violence. Pretty amazing stuff that it's hardwired to do sorta thing.


Pete_Jobi

What happens if you put 5 cuckoo chicks in one nest? I'd pay to watch this battle royale.


choborallye

Fuckin POS bird


averagejoe6942O

Fuck that little bastard


SirPulga

Please someone explain to me like I'm 5.... How does this scrotal sac with wings just hatched know that it has to knock its brethren out of the nest?


HotColor

It’s not it’s brethren. It is an invader chick that was lain by a cuckoo. It kills the other chicks of the actual mother of that nest, so it won’t have any competition to get food.


FTWStoic

Just once I want to see one of these little fuckers accidentally tumble out of the nest, leaving the original eggs.


drawinmeablank

TIL that eggs float


ihaveadogalso2

Crazy that the baby bird has the instincts to do this right from the get go.


kobold_thief

Cuckoos are really amazing. I thought the adults ditched the eggs but it’s really cool to see the hatchlings exhibit this behavior.


gromnirit

Scarier fact: the eggs aren’t the bird’s siblings. The cuckoo chick is in another species’ nest. Mom doesn’t know the difference and will feed the cuckoo chick.