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