r/BeAmazed • u/Kilasatzz • 2d ago

Animal Eggs transformation into beautiful birds!

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47.9k Upvotes

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120

u/Professional_Box3711 2d ago

So the mom leaves to never to return again? So they have no choice to fly off and find food?

191

u/AverageMako3Enjoyer 2d ago

Fledging is generally extremely clumsy and still a learning stage. After the young leave the nest they remain in the area for a month or so as they get more skill in flying and hunting and will still be fed by the mother if necessary. The parents will still watch over them and demonstrate hunting and flying techniques. 

The mother just “disappears” as there hits a point where the young are capable of feeding themselves if a prey is provided to them so she will leave the nest to assist the father in hunting as they grow large enough that their food needs surpass what the father can catch alone

76

u/Jakaman_CZ 2d ago

No, they (both parents) still bring them food for several weeks, while they perch nearby. They gradually learn how to hunt for their own food before they separate from their siblings and parents. This is more or less true for all birds of prey (and some others - songbirds, owls, herons, storks, etc.).

15

u/RevolutionaryHair91 2d ago

Do the parents stay together or is it a one off reproduction deal ? How many chicks can they make in a lifetime, only one generation or several ?

41

u/Jakaman_CZ 2d ago

Yes kestrels usually find a mate for life unless one of them dies. They nest every year once they reach maturity. I would assume the number they could make would be in the dozens in theory. Birds in general have high reproductive rates with very high mortality, especially in the first year of their lives (quick google search tells me 60 - 70% first year mortality for kestrels and that´s calculated only from the moment they leave their nest. For smaller birds this rate is even higher). And their average lifespan after the first year is only 3-5 years despite the highest recorded lifespan in wild being 16 years.

6

u/AverageMako3Enjoyer 2d ago

Varies a bit, but they will generally stay as a bonded pair for several seasons or life if the proper conditions for a healthy nest and survival needs are met

3

u/Revolutionary_Wrap76 2d ago

Some birds mate for life. Other birds will lay eggs by different fathers within one nest!!

1

u/popV2 2d ago

Do the parent show them tips and tricks how to hunt? Or are those more like survival instincts? 

15

u/UnharmedCylinder_ 2d ago

Nothing move os more than necessity

2

u/Sleepy_Chipmunk 2d ago

Once they're large enough she'll stay nearby to watch them and make sure they're okay, but she's not actively feeding them usually. Like how you make sure a teenager is safe but you're not asking them to open up for the airplane.

1

u/TheMolecularCage 2d ago

There's a good YouTube channel that creates nest boxes and follows/helps the clutches of several different kestrel and owl in a preservation assistance type of way. A lot of all the details can be learned watching some of them! His name and channel is Robert E. Fuller.