system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What exactly happens when an animal imprints on a human? Does it understand that its new "mother" is not the same species?
gpt
For true imprinting, they won't recognize their own species later on. You'll run into this a lot of rehab facilities where human-raised wildlife imprinted as babies and then can't integrate into a flock/herd/whatever. They won't be successful at breeding or parenting. There are other animals that become socialized and tamed so they don't see humans as a threat, but still recognize fellow animals. A local wildlife rehab has a kestrel that was very socialized to humans and caught because he kept hanging around parks and visiting people who were picnicking. However, when they put baby kestrels in with him, he recognized them as familiar and began to feed and preen them, so he isn't considered imprinted.