Birds in Iowa Eating

What's all this then? Birdie tug-of-war? It's a young cardinal being fed by an adult male, presumable Dad. Once the chicks are big enough to leave the nest, (as big as the adults apparently) their mother starts a new batch of eggs and stops feeding them. So these fledglings follow the male around and beg for food. As you can see, the males oblige. Looks like they stick the seed so far down the fledgling's gullet, said fledgling doesn't even have to do it's own swallowing. That's the life.
UPDATE: Turns out that isn't a juvenile cardinal, it's a juvenile cowbird! Cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds' nests and let these unwitting foster parents feed them. Sneaky.
Courtesy Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Source Iowa Bird Watching
Photo courtesy Gerry Rowland