Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
But if these birds are well-feathered and can hop, they quickly become skilled at hiding,
and their parents can usually find them and continue to feed them raise them.
Rehabilitation facilities usually know what to do to provide at least some of the skills
wild birds need to survive and thrive, but baby birds have a much better prognosis for a
long, natural life if they are raised by their parents.
“I DO IT!”
Individual baby birds, even in the same family, may have very different “personal-
ities.” One day I spent hours watching two young female Pileated Woodpeckers learning
tofeedwiththeirparents.Onewouldtryhalf-heartedlytoprobeatadeadtreeasherfath-
erpointedoutthebestspots,butshe'dquicklystarttowhineandflapherwings,begging
for him to feed her. Meanwhile, the other daughter was with the mother at a different
stump that looked no richer in bugs. This daughter probed busily, sometimes pulling out
a big grub and toying with it before eating it. The mother offered her a couple of grubs,
but this youngster just ignored her, reminding me of trying to dress my daughter when
she was a toddler — she'd refuse my help, insisting, “NO! Katie do!”
Q Why do birds leave the nest before they can fly?
A It's to any young bird's advantage to leave the nest as soon as it safely can. People
tend to think of nests as safe, cozy little homes, but predators have an easy time locating
and raiding a nest of calling baby birds, and the warmth and high humidity of nests make
them breeding grounds for dangerous avian parasites.
Some species don't remain in the nest more than a matter of hours. These babies fol-
low one or both of their parents, learning what to eat and how to avoid danger and where
to hide while resting or when in danger. But being flightless does put ducklings, Killdeer
chicks, and other “precocial chicks” at risk from all kinds of predators, so most of the
birds that raise young this way must produce a lot of eggs in a single clutch to have a
reasonable expectation that over their lifetime, at least two babies will survive to replace
them.
Babybirdsthatremain innestsandhaveafairlylonghelpless stagecosttheirparents'
significant time and energy. Parent hawks, herons, songbirds, and other types of birds
workfromsunrisetosunseteverydaytogettheiryoungfedandoutofthenestasquickly
as possible. After fledging, the young birds are more spread out, and the parents can lead
them to different spots every night, enhancing each one's chances of survival.
Some species, such as swallows, woodpeckers, and other cavity nesters, nest where
therearenonearbybranchesforyoungtograbontowhentheyfirstleavethenest.Unless
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