ETA: sorry for those who answered already (thanks), my comment was about the oakification part. I am well aware of the crabification, being a crab myself
I think the funniest part about cuckoo’s is that they can’t be bothered to parent their offspring but some will still hang around just to make sure the host is taking care of the cuckoo’s chicks.
Like if the host bird notices the cuckoo chick and tries to not feed it the cuckoo will harass the host bird and try to kill the other chicks.
Some birds have developed specialized patterns in their young and specialized movements to prove they are not cuckoos. Cuckoos have developed mimicking patterns and movements as a result.
One of my favorite part of planet earth was when they showed a fox steal baby chicks from a bunch of birds. At first I hated the fox but then it showed that the fox was doing it to feed their hungry children. It really taught me about perspective.
If it makes anyone feel any better, those being eaten are often sicker, weaker, and/or older than the rest (which makes them easier for the predator to capture and strengthens the heard by removing the unfit who continue to consume if not taken out)
It’s sad, yes, but it’s how life on earth has evolved. We all need a source of energy. Life is as brutal as it is beautiful
Studied Ichthyology in the early 2000’s and will never forget how much of my A&P coursework was on birds. And how the lab TAs were not at all impressed when I just called them all air fish.
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