Mistle thrush feeds orphaned blackbird juvenile Credit: Andrew Fusek-Peters via SWNSBirds of a feather usually flock together, but a lucky blackbird was ‘adopted’ by a mistle thrush mama who took the juvenile ‘under her wing’ in a rare case of inter-species feeding.
Photographer Andrew Fusek-Peters captured the rare phenomenon in adorable close-up photos that show the female adult thrush diligently feeding her own chicks before offering a worm to a baby blackbird.
Andrew watched as the fluffy fledgling ruffled its feathers, waiting its turn before gobbling down the worm from the thrush’s beak.
“It’s such a rare thing to see, let alone photograph,” said the 59-year-old who shot the photos in a field in North Shropshire, England, earlier this month.
“It is known to happen but it almost never photographed—and I’ve not known of a mistle thrush and a blackbird doing this before.”
He believed it was likely the blackbird chick was abandoned by its mother or its mother died leaving it an orphan.
“When the chick opens its mouth, it triggers a maternal response in nearby female birds,” he told SWNS news agency.
Female Mistle thrush with worm Credit- Andrew Fusek-Peters via SWNS“The blackbird was sitting with its beak open, and the mistle thrush was close by.
“It fed its own chick first and then the blackbird.”
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He searched the internet but couldn’t find an example of this situation ever having been captured on camera before.
“I thought it was a very dark thrush baby at first, then I realized it’s actually a blackbird.
“I was only five yards away. I could get quite close because they aren’t bothered by humans.
“The chicks are only a few weeks old.
“When fledglings leave the nest the parents will keep feeding them,” he explained.
“I can’t get over how unbelievably rare this is to capture. It was such a special moment.”
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