Watch Baby Bird Give Food to Younger, Injured Bird at Virginia Wildlife Center
An incredible moment between two rescued baby birds is making hearts soar.
Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center called their video of a baby cedar waxwing giving up its own food to feed another younger, injured bird “one of the most amazing things you’ll see in wildlife rehab” and we’re inclined to believe them.
In the Facebook video (below), a young cedar waxwing is offered food, but instead of eating it himself, brings it to an even younger cedar waxwing with a broken leg and feeds it to her.
According to the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center, this is actually common behavior in cedar waxwings and has been seen in other bird species as well. But why?
“Is it a sign of altruism, of giving to those in greater need to benefit the flock?” the Roanoke-based nonprofit asked in the caption. “Is it play behavior, letting young birds practice the skills they’ll need in adulthood when they raise their own babies? Could it be both?”
WATCH: How to Know if a Baby Bird Needs Rescuing
“There are lots of mysteries we have yet to unlock about wild animals we share the world with and who knows what amazing things we have yet to uncover,” the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center concluded.
It seems that nobody knows why a baby bird would care for another, but that certainly doesn’t make it any less sweet!
