# First Discovery on Interspecific Parental Care of Siberian Stonechat ( Saxicola maurus ) Nestlings Provided by a Male White Wagtail ( Motacilla alba )

## TL;DR

A white wagtail was observed caring for Siberian stonechat nestlings in China, marking the first known case of interspecific parental care in East Asia.

## Contribution

This is the first documented case of interspecific parental care by a white wagtail toward Siberian stonechat nestlings in East Asia.

## Key findings

- The white wagtail increased the total provisioning to the Siberian stonechat nestlings.
- The three birds shared food delivery and sanitation tasks equally among the five nestlings.
- The white wagtail's feeding attempts exceeded those of the stonechat parents.

## Abstract

Interspecific parental behavior has been reported worldwide, particularly in Europe and North America, yet relatively little information is available from East Asia. We present the first known instance of interspecific parental care by a white wagtail (
Motacilla alba
) at a Siberian stonechat (
Saxicola maurus
) nest, documented via video footage in the farmland of Northwest Yunnan, China. We quantify parental behaviors and describe aggressive interactions between the adult Siberian stonechats and the white wagtail. The white wagtail lightened the provisioning load of the male and female stonechats and increased total provisioning to nestlings to some extent. Moreover, the investment of the three birds, in terms of food delivery and fecal‐sac removal, was evenly distributed among the five nestlings at the nest. Although proximate causes of this behavior are unclear, close nest vicinity with the host young's loud begging and the loss of the wagtail's offspring or eggs may have triggered this behavior.

We present the first known interspecific parental care by a white wagtail (
Motacilla alba
) at a nest of Siberian stonechat (
Saxicola maurus
), documented by video in the farmland of northwest Yunnan, China. The White wagtail did significantly more feeding attempts than either parent of the Siberian stonechats but did not show a significant difference in sanitation maneuvers compared to each sex of the stonechat parent. Moreover, the three birds' investment, in terms of food delivery and fecal‐sac removal, was distributed evenly among the five nestlings at the nest.