Common Cuckoo chick ejects eggs of Reed Warbler out of the nest.David Attenborough's opinion

Summary

This video narrates the fascinating behavior of a cuckoo chick in a reed warbler's nest. After a female cuckoo secretly lays her egg in the nest, the cuckoo chick hatches first and begins a determined effort to remove the other eggs. Despite its initial weakness, the cuckoo eventually succeeds, monopolizing the attention and food from the reed warblers. In just two weeks, it grows significantly larger than its foster parents, who continue to feed it even after it leaves the nest. By August, the young cuckoo embarks on its solo journey to Africa.

Takeaways

• 🪺 A female reed warbler is incubating her four eggs in a small nest.
• 🐦 One of the eggs starts to hatch, but it is actually a cuckoo chick, not a reed warbler.
• 🦉 Two weeks earlier, a female cuckoo secretly laid her egg in the reed warbler's nest.
• 🤔 The reed warbler does not notice the cuckoo egg and raises the chick as her own.
• 🥚 The young cuckoo needs to throw the other eggs out of the nest to survive.
• 💪 Despite being weak, the cuckoo chick tries repeatedly until it successfully pushes the other eggs out.
• 🍽️ The reed warbler parents continuously feed the cuckoo chick, mistaking it for their own.
• 📈 The young cuckoo grows rapidly, reaching adult size in just two weeks.
• 🌬️ The cuckoo becomes so large that the nest struggles to hold its weight.
• 🛫 At the end of August, the young cuckoo will migrate to Africa and return next spring to repeat the cycle.

Q & A

What species of bird is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus is on the Reed Warbler, specifically the female Reed Warbler incubating her eggs.

Why is there a young cuckoo in the Reed Warbler’s nest?

Two weeks before, a female cuckoo secretly laid her egg in the Reed Warbler’s nest, leaving the Reed Warbler to unknowingly raise the cuckoo chick.

What does the young cuckoo need to do after hatching?

The young cuckoo needs to throw the other eggs out of the nest to ensure it receives all the food from the Reed Warbler parents, as they won't be able to feed all the nestlings.

Why does the young cuckoo struggle to push the eggs out of the nest at first?

The cuckoo is still too weak when it first hatches, making its initial attempts to push the eggs unsuccessful.

How does the cuckoo eventually succeed in removing the eggs from the nest?

After multiple attempts, the cuckoo finally succeeds in pushing the eggs out of the nest. Although the process is difficult, it manages to complete the task.

What happens after the cuckoo has removed all the other eggs from the nest?

Once the cuckoo is alone in the nest, the Reed Warbler parents start feeding it continuously, providing it with all the food meant for the brood.

How quickly does the young cuckoo grow to its adult size?

The young cuckoo grows rapidly and reaches its adult size within just two weeks due to the intensive feeding from the Reed Warblers.

How does the cuckoo manage to stay in the nest once it has grown larger?

As the cuckoo grows larger, it must hold tightly to the nest to prevent itself from falling out, especially in strong winds. There is even a risk that the nest could break apart under its weight.

Do the Reed Warblers recognize the cuckoo as different from their own offspring?

No, despite the cuckoo being much larger than the Reed Warblers' natural offspring, they continue to treat it as one of their own and provide food even after it has left the nest.

What happens to the young cuckoo at the end of summer?

At the end of August, the young cuckoo embarks on a solo journey to Africa. It will return the following spring and may attempt to lay its egg in another Reed Warbler’s nest.