This is Bird Note. In North America, the European Starling has gained a bad reputation for competing

with native bird species for nest cavities. They're not known as good neighbors, to say

the least.

But to their surprise, researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada saw three Harry

Woodpecker nestlings receive care from both a female Harry Woodpecker and a European

Starling, a stunning example of a bird caring for another species young.

While the Harry Woodpecker fed the chicks more times per hour than the Starling, the Starling

made an effort to clean the nest cavity of waste, which the Woodpecker did not do. The

researchers aren't certain why the Starling began caring for the Woodpecker nestlings.

Probably the Woodpecker's mate died, and the Starling strong parental instincts led the

bird to start bringing food to the unrelated chicks.

Begging calls from nestlings seem to work beyond a bird's own species. While one species

caring for another is rare among birds, the fact that it does sometimes happen shows

just how powerful the sound of a begging chick is to an adult bird.

For Bird Note, I'm Michael Stein.

Support for Bird Note is provided by Jim and beer to Faulkner and generous listeners

around the world.