how is it that Brood Parasitic fledglings come to recognize it’s own species instead of whatever bird hatched and raised it? Wouldn’t it learn its surrogate parent’s calls and songs?

Question

how is it that Brood Parasitic fledglings come to recognize it’s own species instead of whatever bird hatched and raised it? Wouldn’t it learn its surrogate parent’s calls and songs?

In: 6

Answer 1

I imagine instinctively when they hear their own species songs and chirps it’s like a person who is calling your name out in your mother tongue that you know fluently for the first time when before all you knew was Spanish at a first grade level.

This triggers their brain to recognize that sound as familiar as it does it’s host probably more so.