Selfish Ospreys

[whiffey]

Did you see that selfish osprey on Springwatch? There is a puny needy chick in the background pleading for food, and a big fat one in the foreground. The parent was stuffing food down the fat one at the rate of 5 to 1. This species is nearly extinct and frankly I am not surprised, if I had been there I would have shot that selfish parent and got up close and fed the poor little runt.

[wildwood]

Oh yes... and that is really going to help the species!

It may seem cruel but the runt is obviously inferior to its sibling, therefore feeding it when there is not an abundance of food is a waste is to the detriment of the (now) healthy chick. Better to rear one good one than two seedy ones to propagate the species. This is the standard for all animals except humans.

Ospreys are nowhere near extinct and only threatened in certain areas of their wide distribution, mainly where Men has destroyed their breeding places.

[taichiperson]

It's very common - plus the eggs do not hatch at the same time, so they are naturally different sizes. The second chick survives if there is a surplus of food. They have no concept of selfishness, just instincts that have evolved to maximise survival. If they are threatened, it is due to our actions in hunting birds of prey (in the past), pesticide residues making the eggshells thinner, destruction of habitat, poisoning ,etc etc....

[doglady]

The reason they feed bigger chicks more is basically because their mouth is bigger.

If we have an itch, we feel the urge to scratch it. If parent birds see an open mouth, they feel the need to stuff food in it. The bigger the gape, the more they want to feed it.

So the bigger chicks get more food.

That's nature for you.