There are many animals in the world which are not very good at taking care of their children. Some are infamous for eating their own children. But these also include a unique bird which surprises because it is known for its love and loyalty. Scarlet macaws, or red parrots, famous for their iridescent feathers, discriminate against their chicks and often abandon some babies. In the new study, scientists have also tried to find out why this behavior happens and how it can be stopped, so that the risk of extinction of their species can be reduced.
discrimination against children
This study by researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences shows that scarlet macaws are partial to their young. This is a cruel aspect of his nature. But when scientists found out the reason for this, it was no less shocking.
Scarlet macaws have preferred chicks but
It is not that these red parrots do not like children or cannot or do not want to take care of them. Despite abundant resources, they deliberately do not feed their youngest chicks. Due to this gross bias, only one or two chicks are able to learn the art of survival, while chicks up to four chicks are not considered.
Scarlet macaws are known to remain loyal to their partners throughout their lives. (Symbolic photo: Wikimedia Commons)
more children are born
Dr Donald Brightsmith, professor in VMBS’s department of veterinary pathology, said scientists have known for years that scarlet macaws produce far more babies than they keep. “We found that 26% of scarlet macaques’ second chicks and almost all of their third and fourth chicks die before hatching.”
a different thing
It seems surprising how such lovely creatures can leave their babies to die? Scientists say that it seems that the role of parents for these birds is no less complex. Dr. Gabriela Vigo-Traucco, a lead researcher at the Shoebot Center for Avian Health, noticed a relevant fact. Not every chick hatches on the same day because scarlet macaws lay eggs over a long period of time.
Scarlet macaws are seen taking good care of only their first child. (Symbolic photo: Wikimedia Commons)
And no one paid attention to this
The hatching of babies on different days affects the food decisions of parents. A strategy that no one had thought of. When hatching periods vary by four or more days, parental care varies for each chick. This difference leads to catastrophic neglect of the youngest chicks and subsequent death from starvation.
maca for chicks “Foster Parents”
Given these results, Texas A&M scientists have devised a solution to this problem, reducing deaths among neglected chicks. Researchers propose that “foster parents” for neglected chicks could be a solution to this serious problem. That is, a system in which there is a provision to raise other children in some other way so that there is no pressure on the original parents to bring them up. This may seem like human intervention, but it is a push in the right direction.
To rescue neglected chicks, they are kept in captivity for a few weeks and then placed in the nests of macaws whose chicks are at a similar developmental stage or which have lost all their chicks due to predation. The success of a rearing program lies in ensuring that all chicks appear to be approximately the same size. This familiarity encourages foster parents to accept orphaned chicks as their own. This study journal Diversity Is published in.
Tags: Bizarre news, Science, science facts, science news, Shocking news, Weird news
FIRST PUBLISHED: November 11, 2024, 10:44 IST