Top misconceptions of Theory of Evolution you had to deal with

[God of Mr. Hanky]

The "naturalness" of a behavior is irrelevant with regards to whether or not the behavior works.  If you don;t teach your kids something, if they don't learn it, obviously natural selection can't act on it...but since we're only discussing those things that they have been taught, that they did learn, of what relevance is an abandoned duckling?  

Lets say you taught your kids how to build a fire.  In a world where your kids are the only kids with the knowledge to start a fire, would it surprise you to find your genes all over the place after a few generations?  Would you think it had something to do with your genes, rather than the fire, and the learned behavior of firestarting, if you did find them all over the place?

Successful learned behaviors help to perpetuate -whatever- genotype they are associated with, even if the learned behavior is not specific to or determined by the genotype of the owners.  Que the natives.

I've not been limiting the discussion to things which have been taught, nor does the OP. I believe the study of animal behavior is important because we share many of their genes, and their apparently instinctive behaviors reveals quite a bit on our own.

Why do you keep on throwing unrealistic non-sequitors at my observations? It seems as if I've touched on a nerve, and that nerve was you, a father, who needs to believe his role in teaching his children actually matters. I'm not saying it doesn't - of course it does, and it matters a lot, but I believe it only makes good sense to question just how plastic and just how blank the human infant really is at birth.

Birds are particularly amazing creatures, in that they don't need to be taught how to weave natural materials together and build nests. Therefore, it doesn't sound altogether farfetched, if never observed, to imagine a child being born with fire-building and fire-making skills. It would be his genes, not his aquired skills which would influence future generations. Unless his peers, not born with the rudimentary skill set, but able to learn from immitation and improvisation to build better fires. All modern humans have this edge over birds of learning through immitation and improvisation, but not all are equal in their inherent proclivity to master mechanical activities, math, or work with materials. Therefore, some are a natural at what they do well, even though they aren't born with the skill, only a strong predisposition to excel at it. Others learn how to stalk and cast a sling to kill their prey because not doing so means they starve, but they do not have any natural athletic prowess. They may even teach their sons to do this too, but they aren't going to pass down the genes which make the skills come easily because they don't have them to pass down!