In the wild, it doesn’t often pay to be nice.

Survival is of utmost importance, and wild animals have to look out for themselves and their young first.

When female jackdaws are in distress, their male partners can sense it. But they often don’t console their partners and focus on protecting themselves instead.

So, the male’s aloof behavior might be a survival tool, despite how insensitive it looks to us humans.

Males eager to breed will sometimes kill babies that aren’t their own.

But here’s something that may come as a surprise: they’re brood parasites.

Other birds, like cuckoos, also practice this type of parasitism.

In this cat-eat-cat world, only the strongest survive.

But they’re known to prioritize the healthier baby, while leaving the other to perish.