A reed warbler poured its heart and soul into feeding a "giant baby" that killed its own offspring

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]This is definitely the most shocking and absurd Imperial kitchen scene in nature.

[00:00:04]>> [music] >> The top of a trembling branch inhabits a huge chick.

[00:00:09]>> [music] >> And the petite reed was on tiptoe.

[00:00:13]Fluttering tired wings.

[00:00:15]>> [music] >> Struggling to get the hard-caught food into that bloody mouth.

[00:00:19]>> [music] >> The width even covers the entire head of Lu Wei Ying. [music] But Lu Wei Ying is still tireless around trip flight.

[00:00:28]Sometimes even forced to step on the back of a giant bird. I also desperately [music] stuffed food into my bright red mouth, even more suffocating. Lu Wei Ying, who has [music] just completed the head circumference, has a giant eagle flapped its wings and urged again and again. He even used his mouth to force Lu Wei Ying to look for food immediately. Where is this feeding chicks? [music] Clearly worshipping a devil who can never be filled.

[00:00:52]But the crueler truth is, [music] this mother who works day and night does not raise her own blood, but the chicks of another species of cuckoo.

[00:01:01]>> [music] >> And this chick sits back and enjoys.

[00:01:04]From the day the shell is broken, he mercilessly killed Lu Wei Ying's own flesh and blood. A tragedy that started with deception. As early as the moment when Lu Wei Ying started to build his nest, he was quietly not afraid. Let's go back 30 days.

[00:01:17]>> [music] >> In the shadows of the bushes, there is always a pair of calm eyes peeping in the dark. That's a female cuckoo, known as the cuckoo.

[00:01:25]>> [music] >> He waited patiently, waiting for Lu Wei Ying to complete the construction of the nest. Implement your next plan. [music] Soon this trip Lu Wei Ying laid four US eggs. At this time, [music] when the cuckoo faced the first problem, Lu Wei Ying has a strong memory, can clearly remember the number of bullets and the surface [music] pattern. To hide from the sky, he has to wait for the perfect moment.

[00:01:48]The opportunity has finally come. Take advantage of Lu Wei Ying in the moment to find food.

[00:01:52]>> [music] >> The cunning female cuckoo swoops down like lightning. Fall precisely into the nest. Quickly take away a fertilized egg of Lu Wei Ying. Then lay their own eggs in 10 [music] seconds. Complete a perfect Tanuki love prince.

[00:02:05]The whole process is flowing. No flaws.

[00:02:08]This is Wei Ke Yu [music] Chao. For the dove, the Eastern Heretic call of the idiom.

[00:02:14]>> [music] >> When Lu Wei Ying returned, didn't notice anything.

[00:02:18]The key to the success of the female cuckoo scam is that it is Rhododendrons have evolved colors and patterns that closely resemble Reed >> [music] >> eggs. It can almost be done with the fake. The only downside is a slight deviation in size. [music] Although Lu Wei Ying has a super memory, can recognize light patterns. But a moment of hesitation [music] about the subtle size In the face of perfect camouflage, you finally lose the battle and continue the tragic story pulled away.

[00:02:44]>> [music] >> Even more incredible is Rhododendron parasites are not random, but precisely tailored to different hosts. [music] Rhododendrons in different regions can even mimic their main hosts in a targeted manner. Such as Lu Wei Ying, the eggs of Bow Lao bird Hong Bay Canal have patterns. Some cuckoos even produce custom-made eggs in pure blue. The simulation is perfect. Even human experts have food that is difficult to tell. To ensure competitive advantage for future generations, cuckoo chicks usually break out of their shells in 1 to 2 days.

[00:03:14]This brief head start was enough for him to grab his first bite of food. Even the eyes of the newly broken cuckoo chick are closed. Less than 3 g, the body is still weak, but born with a cold Qing Dynasty instinct.

[00:03:28]>> [music] >> As long as the back touches any foreign body, he will instinctively stand up.

[00:03:33]Push the obstacle out with your tender [music] back.

[00:03:36]So, those unhatched Reed Eagle eggs and newborn Reed Eagle chicks [music] all pushed out of the nest by this sheep in just a few hours.

[00:03:45]Fall to the ground.

[00:03:48]Even if Lu Wei Ying [music] is by his side. This inhumane killing has no intention of stopping.

[00:03:53]It seems to be driven entirely by innate genes. After knowing all the competitors, little cuckoos monopolize all food and nest space, began his gluttonous feast.

[00:04:04]Since then, Liu Wei-ying and his wife have fallen into endless toil. Under the continuous feeding of adoptive parents, he's crazy about nutrition, rapidly expanding far more than them.

[00:04:16]The original delicate nest was also [music] weighed and deformed. Even the nest has undergone earth-shaking changes. But the puzzling thing [music] is Liu Wei-ying's parents don't care.

[00:04:26]It turns out that behind this is the double deception [music] strategy evolved by the cuckoo.

[00:04:32]Good fortune tricks people. Liu Wei-ying was born to recognize his own eggs, but can't tell what the chick looks like.

[00:04:38]Even more [music] outrageous is the little cuckoo has evolved a sound deception system. Rododendron chicks are known to simulate the timing of [music] multiple chicks. It can even imitate the roar of a whole nest of five eight reed eagle chicks.

[00:04:52]Plus the bright red mouth of the cuckoo chick instantly [music] evoked Liu Wei-ying's most primitive parenting instinct, let them fall into an endless feeding [music] frenzy.

[00:05:02]To fill this mouth that can never get enough to eat, Liu Wei-ying and his wife paid a heavy price.

[00:05:07]According to bird ecological observation, to feed this insatiable giant baby, [music] Liu Wei-ying catches 500 insects a day, from dawn to dusk, rain or shine.

[00:05:18]This high-intensity labor often consumes their lives. Many Liu Wei-ying died of overwork during [music] the brooding period.

[00:05:25]Those who survive are often devastated.

[00:05:28]Dim feathers, lose the ability to reproduce. [music] Cuckoo chicks are full-fledged after about 21 days.

[00:05:36]Mature.

[00:05:37]Abandon the exhausted landlord and meal ticket without any nostalgia. Embark on the long migration road alone. Fly to far east Africa.

[00:05:46]What's left is exhaustion. days Liu Wei-ying and his wife, and a whole year of reproductive efforts in vain.

[00:05:53]But, it's not the end, but the beginning of this cruel cycle. The growing cuckoo will steal bullets. The full set of skills of parasitic camouflage is passed on [music] until he matures in the coming year. They will look for memories again, similar to Liu Wei-ying's lair.

[00:06:08]There is deception in repeating this relay of life of killing and sacrifice.

[00:06:13]Let this absurd and efficient survival scam across eras play out year after year. [music]