Birds build nests and lay eggs, but what happens after the chicks hatch? If you’ve ever seen a baby bird on the ground and wondered if you should move it to safety, you may be curious whether parent birds actively relocate their chicks.
This article will provide a thorough examination of avian parenting behaviors to answer the question: do birds move their babies?
If you’re short on time, here’s the quick answer: most birds do not carry or intentionally move their chicks, but they will continue to care for them wherever they end up – whether in the nest, on the ground, or elsewhere.
In this approximately 3000 word guide, we’ll explore a variety of topics related to how birds care for their young after they hatch. We’ll discuss normal chick development and fledging, how the nesting location impacts parents’ ability to move chicks, what to do if you find a baby bird out of the nest, the exceptions to the rule about moving chicks, and much more.
Normal Chick Development and Fledging
Hatching and Early Care
Chicks hatch from their eggs after around 3 weeks of incubation. The hatching process can take 12-36 hours as the chick pecks its way out of the egg using its egg tooth. Once hatched, chicks are covered in down feathers and are unable to regulate their own body temperature.
Parent birds brood the chicks, sitting on top of them to provide warmth. In the first week after hatching, chicks grow rapidly and need to be fed frequently by their parents regurgitating food into their mouths. Chicks’ eyes open around 4-7 days after hatching.
Feather and Wing Development
At around 2 weeks old, chicks enter the fledging period where feather and wing development occurs rapidly. True feathers start growing to replace down, starting with primary flight feathers on the wings. Tail and body feathers follow. Full juvenile plumage is complete by 4 weeks old.
Primary flight feathers grow symmetrically between both wings to allow the balance needed for flying. Chicks flap their developing wings frequently which strengthens the chest muscles needed for flying.
Fledging and Leaving the Nest
Chicks “fledge” and make their first flight attempts around 2-12 weeks after hatching, depending on the species. Small songbirds like finches fledge earlier than larger birds like crows. Fledging occurs when chicks have enough wing feathers and flight muscle strength for limited flying.
First flights start from the nest to a nearby branch. Parents continue to care for fledglings on the ground or in family groups for a period after fledging. Some species like eagles return to the nest occasionally.
Complete independence usually occurs several weeks after fledging when juveniles disperse from their parents’ territory.
The Nesting Location’s Impact
Ground Nests
Birds that build their nests on the ground, such as killdeers, owls, and mallard ducks, face distinct challenges. Ground nests are vulnerable to a range of predators including foxes, coyotes, snakes, and neighborhood cats and dogs.
As a result, ground-nesting bird parents must be vigilant about protecting eggs and their young hatchlings. Mallard mothers may simply abandon a ground nest if she feels it has been too compromised. Killdeers and owls may attempt to lead predators away from the nest by faking a broken wing.
Tree Cavity Nests
Birds that nest in the cavities of trees, such as woodpeckers, nuthatches, bluebirds, and swallows, face fewer risks from predators. However, they must compete for the limited hollows and holes available.
Tree cavity nests offer shelter, insulation, and protection, allowing both parents usually to leave the nest to find food. However, habitat loss has led to fierce competition over nesting sites. As a result, parents must guard the cavity diligently to ensure they can access it year after year.
Ledge and Cliff Nests
For ledge and crevice nesting birds living on cliffs and canyon walls like falcons, eagles, and swifts, the nest location presents extremes. The nests may be hard to access for many predators, but raising chicks is precarious on narrow ledges.
Parents must build nests anchored securely to the rock faces, construct walls to prevent eggs from rolling out, and shade babies from intense sun exposure. However, the heights pose challenges for parents to keep eggs warm and to continually deliver food back to chicks.
Burrow Nests
Burrow-nesting birds like puffins and kingfishers excavate tunnels into dirt cliffs and sand dunes to build their nest chambers. These nest locations offer seclusion from predators and weather, but stagnant air can be problematic.
Parents may have to regularly clear out debris, sanitize burrows, and circulate fresh air inside. Surprisingly, studies find that even without parents, the temperature of burrows usually stays between 32-35 degrees Celsius, ideal for incubation.
The deep tunnels mean parents must make numerous trips ferrying food to chicks.
What To Do If You Find a Baby Bird
Identify If the Chick Is In Distress
If you come across a fledgling or nestling on the ground, the first step is to determine if it actually needs help. Baby birds often leave the nest before they can fully fly. Their parents will continue to care for them during this stage by bringing them food on the ground.
Signs that a chick is in distress and needs intervention include:
- Bleeding
- Shivering
- Attacks from cats/other predators
- Sitting in the same spot for over an hour
If the chick does not display these concerning signs, creating a substitute nest or taking action is not necessary. The parents are likely still tending to it nearby.
Create a Substitute Nest
If the baby bird is clearly in danger, a substitute nest should be made. Get a small basket, ventilated box, or similar container. Line it with paper towels, tissues, grass, or leaves. Gently pick up the chick with gloved hands or a clean towel and place it in the nest.
The nest should then be affixed to a tree branch or bush near the spot the bird was found. It should be 3 to 10 feet off the ground to help protect from predators. Avoid areas with heavy foot traffic that could disturb the chick.
Leave the Area
Once the baby bird is situated in its surrogate nest, immediately leave the area. Returning to check on the chick can frighten off the parents. They may abandon a baby that seems to have human involvement.
Give the parents several hours to reconnect with their fledgling before assessing if further action is needed. Call wildlife rehabilitators if the parents do not return to feed their chick after this period.
If the baby is uninjured but clearly too young to survive outside the nest, the best chance of survival is reuniting it with the parents. Avoid interacting further unless the chick is in imminent danger.
With quick, thoughtful action, baby birds can often be saved and thrive thanks to devoted parental care.
Exceptions Where Birds Will Move Their Young
Brood Parasitism
Brood parasitism is a fascinating reproductive strategy where some bird species lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species. The host bird ends up raising the chick of the brood parasite, often at the expense of its own young. Common cuckoos and cowbirds are notorious brood parasites.
These birds will remove one of the host’s eggs when they lay their own egg in the nest. Once the cuckoo chick hatches, it will push out the other eggs or even kill the host’s chicks. This ensures the cuckoo chick gets all the food and care it needs to grow and fledge.
Though a bit nefarious, brood parasitism allows certain bird species to successfully raise their chicks without the energy expenditure of nest building and incubation. The host bird serves as a taxi service, transporting and feeding the brood parasite’s chick.
Transporting Chicks to Water
Some waterbird parents have to move their chicks from the nest to suitable water habitat after they hatch. Ducks, geese, swans, loons, grebes, and coots all lead their young in an overland journey to find water.
The fluffy chicks follow their parents, who show them the way to rivers, lakes, or oceans. The parents may even physically carry smaller chicks if needed. This overland trek can be hazardous for vulnerable chicks.
Predators like foxes, raccoons, snakes, and birds of prey may pick off trailing chicks if parents are not vigilant. However, the journey is necessary for the young waterbirds to access their natural habitat and find food.
Parent waterbirds exhibit great devotion in ushering their young across land to reach water, even if they have to transport chicks one by one.
Carrying Injured Chicks
Occasionally, parent birds may pick up a chick and move it if it is injured or sick. This behavior shows an advanced capacity for understanding and compassion. For example, in 2019 a viral video showed a mother hen carefully lifting her chick that had a damaged foot and carrying it across a road.
The hen kept the limping chick under her wing while the others followed on their own. She likely moved the injured chick both to protect it from further harm and help it keep up with the brood. There are also reports of hens picking up chicks hit by cars and flying them to safety at the side of the road.
Transporting an injured, vulnerable chick requires the parent bird to modify its usual behavior and demonstrate care beyond basic instinct. This parental empathy and problem-solving reveals the depths of birds’ intelligence and emotional capabilities.
Conclusion
While most healthy chicks remain in the nest until they fledge, and parent birds generally do not move their babies, there are exceptions when birds may relocate their young.
Understanding normal fledging behavior, the limitations of nest locations, and steps you can take if you find a chick out of the nest will help you know how to respond if you encounter baby birds.
Providing substitute nests, avoiding unnecessary interference, and contacting wildlife rehabilitators in cases of distress allow parent birds to continue raising and caring for their chicks – wherever they may be.