Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The Baby Bird News

The third egg has not hatched yet! I peeked in the nest, they are so helpless and just fuzzy! I looked up The American Robin. There is a picture of new chicks there, so I posted it to show. The Mama bird goes ballistic! I will keep sneaking pictures! The babies will Fledge or fly and leave the nest in 2 weeks! Pretty fast!


The American Robin begins to breed shortly after returning to its summer range. It is one of the first North American bird species to lay eggs, and normally has two to three broods per breeding season, which lasts from April to July.
The nest is most commonly located 5–15 ft above the ground in a dense bush or in a fork between two tree branches, and is built by the female alone. The outer foundation consists of long coarse grass, twigs, paper, and feathers. This is lined with smeared mud and cushioned with fine grass or other soft materials. The American Robin does not shy away from nesting close to human habitation.

Newly hatched chicks

A clutch consists of three to five light blue egg, and is incubated by the female alone. The eggs hatch after 14 days and chicks leave the nest a further two weeks later. All chicks in the brood leave the nest within two days of each other. The altricial chicks are naked and have their eyes closed for the first few days after hatching. While the chicks are still young, the mother broods them continuously. When they are older, the mother will brood them only at night or during bad weather. Even after leaving the nest, the juveniles will follow their parents around and beg food from them. Juveniles become capable of sustained flight two weeks after fledging.

These guys are 12 days old, and wings won't support flight yet! Two more days!

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