BirdSleuth K-12

Educators…• These teaching slides were created by the BirdSleuth K-12 team. We

welcome you to share these slides with your students! You may edit this file, but please do not distribute this file (neither original or edited versions).

• Other resources pertaining to this content can be found at: www.birdsleuth.org/webinar-series/nesting.

• Need help or have questions? Please contact BirdSleuth at birdsleuth@cornell.edu or consult the BirdSleuth website at www.birdsleuth.org. Join BirdSleuth on our social networks at:– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/BirdSleuth/40097433976– Twitter: https://twitter.com/BirdSleuth– Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/birdsleuth/boards/

• Version 2.0 July 17, 2014

BirdSleuth K-12

Stages of the Breeding Cycle

Find and defend a territoryFind a mateBuild a nest and lay eggsIncubate eggsFeed and raise nestlingsFledge from the nest

BirdSleuth K-12

Find and Defend a Territory• Breeding territory:

contains resources needed to live & raise young

• Males sing to tell rivals to “keep out”• Protect nest and food

resources

BirdSleuth K-12

Build a Nest…• Birds use a huge variety

of materials to build nests• Twigs, sticks, leaves• Lichen• Mud• Hair, fur, feathers• Spider webs• Yarn, string, dental floss• And many more!

BirdSleuth K-12

Cup

BirdSleuth K-12

Scrape

Platform

Domed

Cavity

Pendulous cup

BirdSleuth K-12

…And Lay Eggs• A clutch is the eggs laid by one

female during a single nesting attempt

• Laying time varies• Inter-egg intervals vary

BirdSleuth K-12

BirdSleuth K-12

Incubate Eggs• Developing chicks must

be kept at a certain temperature

• Mostly done by “brooding,” (adult bird sits on its eggs or young to warm them)

BirdSleuth K-12

Chicks Hatch• Chicks use an egg

tooth to break through the shell

• Pipping is the process of breaking through the shell

BirdSleuth K-12

Hatchlings• Altricial hatchlings—completely dependent on

their parents• Precocial hatchling—more developed and more

independent

BirdSleuth K-12

Altricial vs. Precocial Young

CHARACTERISTIC OF HATCHLINGS

ALTRICIAL YOUNG PRECOCIAL YOUNG

Eyes Closed Open

Downy feathers Absent or Sparse Present

Mobility Immobile Able to Walk/Swim Soon

Parental Care Needs Completely Dependent Varies; some feed themselves

Muscle Control Poor Fairly Sophisticated

Ability to Regulate Body Heat

Poor Well Developed

BirdSleuth K-12

Feed and Raise Young

BirdSleuth K-12

Fledge from the Nest• When a nestling:• Is able to leave the nest,

but not necessarily fully capable of flight

• Has acquired its first complete set of flight feathers

• Term usually used for altricial nestlings