Bringing Up Baby

Stories of baby birds can be fascinating.

The Australian Brushturkey is a bird found mostly on the ground. It is black and the size of a large chicken, with red wattles hanging down its cheeks. It prefers to stay on the ground, flying only if it has to. I found this bird bland, but that was before I heard how it brings up babies. Before laying eggs, the father collects organic, compostable material to make a mound several feet in size. The mother then lays eggs inside the mound and leaves. The father keeps adjusting the mound contents so that the heat generated by the organic decay stays within 33-35 degrees Celsius. This works like incubation. When the eggs hatch, the chicks are ready to fly from day one.

Then there is the story of the Cuckoo family, including the Koel, or Kokil. The Cuckoo lays one egg amongst the eggs of the Crow in the Crow's nest. The Crow, unaware of the plot, incubates all eggs in its nest with great care. The Cuckoo egg hatches first and the chick sometimes pushes out the Crow's eggs off the nest. It also calls in a manner similar to a Crow. The Crow continues nurturing the baby Cuckoo until it is grown enough to fly off. This is an uncommon phenomenon called "brood parasitism."

Stories like the above are extraordinary, but the breeding cycle of ordinary birds is no less interesting and challenging. They build a nest, find a tree cavity, or revisit last year's nest to lay their eggs.  When the chicks hatch, the parents must nurture them by feeding them and protecting them from predators. At some point the chicks start flapping their wings; soon they are making short flights. But not all chicks can learn to feed themselves at the same time they fly. Birds of prey, for example, must learn to hunt while flying. So even after they learn to fly their parents must keep feeding them until they can hunt for themselves.

It is not easy to observe baby birds while they are growing up. But such moments are rewarding.

Some years ago I ran into a mother Yellow-wattled Lapwing with her brood. The chicks walked the fields with her and learned to forage in the ground for worms and vegetable matter. However, they could not fly and were vulnerable to predators from above. Whenever there was a hint of a moving shadow from above they immediately dived under the wings of the mother.

In weeks the colour of their plumage changed from salt-and-pepper to reddish brown. They strayed farther and farther from the mother. One day I saw one of them flapping its wings. The first flight came soon. In no time they were showing off their flying skills like kids with the first bicycle or teenagers with the first car.

For most birds bringing up baby is best done discreetly away from prying eyes. But if you do happen to find a full nest, you will find joy in observing life unfold for these young ones.

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