Why Sparrows Sometimes Feed Goldfish

A video shared by Illinois resident Lou Ann Pence shows a cardinal feeding goldfish as though they were its own young. This article explains the key facts and context behind sparrows feeding goldfish.

Key Facts About Sparrows Feeding Goldfish

This suggests that in nature there are many strange situations about the relationships between animals that seem unable to live together.

Lou Ann Pence added, the sparrow jumps into the pond and drops the seed for the fish to be eaten. Every day he landed six times to feed the fish.

Some people have come up with different theories to explain the cause of birds feeding food to a completely different species.

Christina Riehl, a biologist at Princeton University, said that the shape of the open mouth of goldfish on the water looks quite similar to that of a young bird preparing to bait. This motivates instincts to be a mother, to feed primates of adult birds.

Why Sparrows Feeding Goldfish Matters

Goldfish are very smart, they can remember areas that are frequently provided with food.

In the past, it was reported that the red finches fed goldfish. Robert Mulvihill, an ornithologist at the National Bird Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, said there was a black-and-white photo of the red finches feeding on goldfish in a book from the 1960s at LIFE Natural Library.

According to Mulvihill, the feeding behavior of parents to other species may be due to the bird having lost its child.

Goldfish are not only fed by red finches but also fed by swans and ducks. Riehl is not sure these two cases have the same cause.

According to Riehl, young red finches depend entirely on their parents for not being able to find their own. But the offspring of aquatic species such as swans or ducks can live independently after birth.