1.3K views · 72 reactions | An influx of cedar waxwing nestlings at...

3.7K views · 158 reactions | This cedar waxwing juvenile - totally unrelated to the others in this video - has taken it upon themself to start feeding their younger roommates! This isn't a common occurence, but it certainly helps out our rehab staff!  #AIWCPatientStories #cedarwaxwing #albertabirds #albertawildlife #alberta #canada #yyc #aiwc #wildlifehospital #wildliferescue #wildliferehab | Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation | Facebook

A helping beak! This fledgling cedar waxwing is helping out some neighbouring nestlings by feeding them. Cedar waxwings actually do this quite a bit, and it's known as allofeeding. That's when feeding care is directed toward non-offspring and non-siblings. It's actually very sweet and iwe'll take all the help we can get! Waxwings are strongly flock-oriented, so it's very possible that their tight-knit social structure encourages food-sharing beyond the immediate family to provide a benefit to th