Bird parents, or as many of us know the rest of humanity goes by, have got quite adept at picking up and dropping off baby chicks. There are plenty of such birds out there, but I want to focus on one that does not always make it into my list. These days, if you’ve ever seen a bird in its early spring months or during any other season, then you’ll certainly notice how much more active and energetic it is than many human beings.
It’s an impressive feat for any animal on land. If this sounds like something you’re familiar with, then be sure to keep reading to find out what kind of avian activity makes them one of the best ones around. First, let’s look at some different types of birds and how they would react to each one of them, based off the type of mother bird and how she copes her eggs with:
Porcine Pheasant ‘Birds’
One of the most common birds found throughout Europe and North America, the porcine crow (Perching Heron) has a habit of looking after and taking care of its young when given the opportunity. When given food, water and other needs, the pheasant will often look after and take care of their baby for as long as possible. They take the time away from feeding their brood so that they may teach their new partner how to feed themselves, and when done, return to the nest with the food and water it had taken care of. This particular species also takes part in a great deal of socialization, and as such, it isn’t uncommon for them to associate in groups of 10,000, especially during the summer.
The next thing you might notice about these birds is that when they eat their flock’s food, they do so without even thinking, which they typically use one of three methods of food storage: dry foods and oils, egg-laying and hard shell eggs, the latter which is where we see our modern day chicken nests. Both of these are relatively simple things to do, to start with, yet is far from ideal for all kinds of bird species. For instance, imagine if we were to begin to think about why we put peanuts at all of our dinner tables. In the case of a perching hen, you know that they’ll go through nuts and seeds to make the peanut butter nut butter required.
But imagine for the sake of argument if we wanted to place a shell of whatever size your average avian might be able to pick as an alternate form of food storage to peanuts. That’s actually pretty impossible! Fortunately for our own sake, we don’t have to consider those realities when it comes to eating ravens. We can simply assume that the bird we’re talking about just eats whatever they’ve been eating for as long as it serves them, and they eat whatever they choose to eat, whether it be a big juicy pebble from a tree, a small piece of shell or a little grain they can grow from scratch. So, yeah, you just got the picture!
Tawny Owls
These beautiful, fluffy and very active birds spend a huge chunk of their lives flying along above trees and buildings, either hunting prey or making and landing sighters from fallen bodies. Some of the bird population are usually found in search of their roosts, while others will fly down from high altitudes and feed upon the trees of the house.
Regardless, they come back looking good, and since the only type of food they eat during the winter is a pile of seeds, they often consume seedlings from garden plots. As such, they are a staple species in many parts of eastern and southern Canada, northern California and Arizona, and Florida. They also make it home to some of the largest populations. However, unlike many of the aforementioned perching hen varieties, these owls eat mostly grains and ripe shell eggs. You won’t see a lot of these birds near trees during the fall months.
Rufous Hummingbirds
This group is pretty easy to spot thanks to their markings and colorful wings. Although they do fly a bit less than the two mentioned perching hen types, they still love to be around. One of the biggest reasons for all this is because most rufous hummingbird species in the world tend to look for food in the wild with no regard to predation. Many of them like to hunt using scent alone, rather than sound.
Unlike some of the other owl families, however, they often bring their young along to help them learn how to hunt. Also, unlike the other perching hen species, they usually give their nestlings as much attention as possible. Just like we mentioned before, sometimes they will visit their nestlings late, and they will spend most of the night learning about their new partners, teaching them how to feed themselves and learning how to survive as it shifts towards colder temperatures that season.
Owls
Being the highest living thing on Earth right now, Owl families play an incredibly important role in the entire ecosystem. Not only is the ovid-sulfuric acid family responsible for helping rid dust of nitrogen, having them and other members of the same family doing so is critical for protecting the planet. Additionally, some of the most impressive numbers of owls in the US come from being both predators and creators of their own diet for the environment.
According to CNN, some of the world’s largest nesting areas are located in areas that rely heavily on fossil fuels. These locations include places like Brazil and South Dakota. Since these animals need these resources to thrive, we should expect to see owls everywhere to meet their nutrition requirements.
All of which are really good signs that a bird species is one of the best ones around, and here’s another one that makes it worth checking out:
Porcine Terns ‘Birds’
Despite my first instinct going toward pheasants, this is precisely what happens in fact. Though one side of things can be considered weird, it actually makes sense. After all, if anything, the pheasant bird seems to prefer getting food off of its brood rather than being born, in theory. While the birds involved will look for food in the wild, the ones who actually carry it are often the most active participants in feeding the brood. Another interesting trait of pheasant birds is a distinct pattern called “diplegia.” In other words, they are the only birds to lay their eggs along with seeds in what are normally quite narrow passageways. By laying eggs along these passages, pheasant birds allow for a more natural way of keeping them warm while they hatch, and as such, their behavior is highly variable.
On occasion, though, pheasant parents can get extremely aggressive when attempting to take food from their nestling. Either way, there are lots of examples of pheasant families that give birth, and although many do so by dropping off and returning home following the parent’s chick into its cage, many others do so in a fashion that makes sense. Such pheasant children tend to live a life that mirrors the behavior of their parents more closely than is expected for non-breeder types.
So, that brings me to the second question on this post, which I’m sure there are going to be quite a few people asking…
Can Birds Pick Themselves?
Many years ago, I used to say that when it came to humans, it was almost as if the whole idea of giving a bird the chance to be around was completely ridiculous. Why do we make it so difficult for them? What on earth are they doing wrong? I couldn’t answer the last two points at the moment; however, I do believe that there is a reason for both of these questions to happen, and I will explain everything in this article.
First, to understand both answers, let’s take a quick look at bird parents and how they handle this.
A Feather, A Sparrow, Or Two?
In addition to the information above, we now have to talk about two main types of bird parents when approaching the idea of picking up babies. First, there are two different types of bird parents when you look at different levels of bird parenting: “parenting” and “breeders.” Parenting focuses upon the family and how to raise and support a child. Breeder refers to the actions of the individual parent and what those actions entailed. Thus, parentage takes center stage.
Both of these types of bird parents are well known because they allow for tremendous flexibility and options to be implemented. Now, I would not necessarily consider the level of flexibility and opportunities offered within the mother bird that allows her to get to her offspring, especially if it were not for her ability to help her kid eat whatever she wants to. This also leaves the possibility to give her kids a variety of food and shelter they like. But I also consider this level of flexibility to remain on the lower end of the spectrum. Because this level of flexibility and freedom to make choices makes sense if you know what to expect when it comes to bird parentages.
Mama, Egg Shopper?
A mother bird, according to Wikipedia, is a term commonly used for all female birds. She is most likely to be related to any type of bird species that have the ability to be pregnant. Regardless of whether this means she is able to lay her eggs naturally, she likely lays them herself or through her assistance she uses to raise her chicks. Of course, if the bird she’s trying to lay her eggs on, is also able to lay them on her and help them hatch, then the chances are they will be able to do so too. All of these possibilities, of course, vary based on what type of mother bird you are talking about. The easiest way to determine this is by determining the general type and how the mother birds relate to it. From there
